No Pressure
by heyitsjames
Summary: The trio attempt to live their lives without having the pressure of fighting off evil. Ron helps George cope with his grief by helping him run the joke shop, Hermione goes back to Hogwarts in order to pursue a career as a Healer, and Harry trains to be an Auror. But after coming back from the dead twice, Harry may have used up all the fight he had in him. Disregards epilogue. H/Hr
1. The Most Amicable Breakup in History

_Hello! This is my first ever Harry Potter fic even though I've been an obsessed fan since I was 10 years old. The reason for this was that I was always extremely happy with the outcomes of the books/movies. However, after watching the final Harry Potter film, I realized that I was really a Harmony fan! Funny, I didn't really mind Ron/Hermione in the books, but after the movies, I was slowly converted. My liking for HHr started when the HBP movie came out. I think it might have something to do with Dan and Emma's chemistry (it's just so awesome!). Anyway, after watching the final movie, I reread the books and ... well, I realized that, in the books, I'm okay with both RHr and HHr. But because I'm super HHr in the movies, I'm HHr overall by default (: _

_Therefore, I wrote this little thing here as a ... sort of, alternate ending for the movies because it completely disregards the epilogue. It's RHr in the beginning, but will be HHr in the end. This chapter is a little fluffy friendship between Harry and Ginny as they break up, but don't worry, the angsty/hurt/comfort will come later on, I promise! Enjoy! _

_**Disclaimer:** I solemnly swear that no copyright infringement is intended. I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter and/or any of the characters mentioned._

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><p><span>Chapter 1: The Most Amicable Breakup in History<span>

"Awkward."

She looked at him in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah," Harry, looking as apologetic as possible, nodded. He looked at the beautiful young woman before him, afraid and guilty of what he's said, but he could hide his discomfort no longer.

It had been a few hours more than a day since the seemingly endless war against Voldemort had ended, and all the survivors were only taking the first baby step into getting their lives - and the rest of the wizarding world - back on track. Immediately after Voldemort's downfall, Harry had gone straight to his two best friends. Ron and Hermione - after seven years of constant bickering, four years of tension and two years of painfully obvious romantic feelings for each other - have finally closed the distance between them and officially transformed their dysfunctional friendship into a relationship.

Of course, Harry had always suspected that such an event would occur eventually. However, something about the start of their relationship didn't sit with him right. They had gotten together in the middle of a war, amongst all the pressure, violence, loss and victory. What kind of a place was that to start a relationship? It made Harry completely uneasy. When he saw the pair emerge from the doors of the Great Hall with their hands intertwined, however, he couldn't help but smile at their obvious happiness. Despite all the deaths, they had managed to smile because of each other and that erased most, if not all, of Harry's worry for the two. For the first time after it all ended, he had genuinely smiled for the sake of his two best friends.

Seeing Ron and Hermione's apparent love for each other though, had made him question his own relationship with Ginny. He had no doubt in his mind that he had been in love with her during Dumbledore's funeral, Bill and Fleur's wedding and even the Horcrux hunt. But as he mulled his thoughts all over his brain, he remembered the kiss they shared amidst the battle; it was quick, rushed ... and completely desperate. Unlike the times when he and Ginny first got together, Harry did not feel the connection between them. It was as if the year-long distance between them had created a shift in him - in _them. _

Harry was seen as a representation of hope when in truth, he felt like a scared schoolboy who got extremely lucky during duels while Ginny had to deal with her family's constant reminders of her young age, when they all truly knew that she possessed great skill and true Gryffindor courage. They were both trapped in a world of chaos and after it all ended, Harry didn't feel the need to run to her and hold her in his arms until all the oxygen had escaped her slim body and neither has Ginny felt the need to run to him. They cared and loved each other, that's for sure, but he no longer felt that they were _in love _with each other. Of course, Harry wasn't sure if Ginny felt the same way and, not wanting to hurt her feelings with his overactive analyzing, he had decided to let things calm down for a few days before approaching the subject.

This plan went down the drain, however, when Ginny had approached the subject herself at the Gryffindor common room. Thus bringing Harry to his current predicament.

"Harry, when we kissed ... you know, before," Ginny had started, "How did it - well - how did it feel?"

Harry was dumbfounded by the sudden nature of her question, but felt that, after all they'd been through in the past few months, there would be no sense in beating around the bush to such a straightforward question.

"Awkward."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

To his surprise, Ginny's lips started to form into a smile and soon, a laugh. It wasn't long before she was doubled over in hilarity while Harry stared at her, dumbfounded once more.

"Er - " he muttered, not quite knowing what to say, "Ginny, what - ?"

"Oh, Harry," she smiled, wiping a stray tear from her right eye, "You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say those words."

Harry's eyes grew wide. Was she really okay with this? "Are you joking?"

She shook her head, "Not even a little."

He smiled, "Really? Because you know, it's not like I never lov - "

"I know, Harry. I feel the same way."

"You do?"

"Harry, I ... I really missed you when you three just disappeared after the wedding," Ginny explained, smiling sadly, "I was worried and I really _was_ in love with you. But, after a while, the hurt seemed to go away to be replaced by a different kind of hurt. I was constantly worried about my family and friends and that includes you ... just that, not in the same way anymore. I was just generally worried because I care about you and ... well, when I saw you again, it was as if - as if I was reverted back to when we first got together."

"That's when I knew that something was different. Being apart from you for practically a year was no vacation, Harry, but ... it wasn't like the whole world just paused for us. We couldn't just resume everything as if nothing's changed because _everything's _changed. Oh, good God, I don't even know if I'm making any sense right now - "

"No, I ... trust me, Ginny, I understand." Harry nodded, "I mean, in the beginning, I always wondered what you'd be doing, and where you were and if you're alright and how much I wished I was there with you, but ... after a while, something seemed to gradually change. I don't really know what, of course, but ... it just did."

They both looked at each other in a sort of bittersweet smile. Harry added, "I still care about you though."

Ginny, with a friendly gesture, placed her hand on top of Harry's shoulder, "I do too, Harry. The fact that things have changed, doesn't mean that I didn't care for you anymore and didn't want to be with you, and ... well that brings us to the day of the battle. I saw you and throughout the urgency of it all, I just kissed you, with as much heart as I could. And, just like you said, it was awkward."

"It really was, wasn't it?" he commented, recalling the moment, "I mean all the butterflies I used to feel, they were just gone and, when you kissed me, it was like - it was like kissing a - "

"- brother!" she finished, "I know!"

"Well, uh, I was going to say sister, because war or not, I doubt I'd ever - "

"Oh, shut up!" Ginny laughed, "You knew perfectly well what I meant."

"I know, I know. I'm joking!" He laughed, shaking his head slightly. Harry was amazed at how in sync their minds were sometimes, he and Ginny.

"This is mad." He commented with a toothy smile on his face.

"You're right," she nodded, looking down. After a long sigh, she looked back up with her warm eyes, "But it's true, as well."

They nodded in agreement and, after a few moments of comfortable silence, Harry retreated from the comfortable arm chair and decided to head down to lunch.

"Yeah, I bet they're looking for us," Ginny replied, getting up from her seat. "I'm getting hungry too."

Harry reached for her hand without hesitation, "Friends?"

She took his hand with ease, "Friends."

Harry and Ginny grinned as they walked down the Grand Staircase, both looking greatly relieved. For now, just for now, they didn't have to think of the funerals, the deaths ... for now, they just basked in their newly rebuilt friendship.

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><p><em>And that's it! Sorry, there's no HarryHermione interaction yet :( It'll be in the next chapter, I promise! Please share your thoughts in a form of a review (:_


	2. Here's to the Unforeseeable Future

_As you may have already noticed, I'm incredibly slow in updating :( I promise to try and change this horrid trait! It was a bad idea starting this story at the end of summer. After all, it's my first year in college and things could not be more hectic! But that's no excuse anyhow, because I know there a lot of other writers out there who are just as busy as I am - if not, busier. So I sincerely apologize! I swear though, I'm trying to make the wait worth your time (: Thank you so much to all that reviewed, or even just read! I am not bullshizzing when I say that it truly means the world to me that people are enjoying this. So thank you so much!_

_I also wanted to mention that this story will not have any Ron or Ginny bashing, WHATSOEVER. I love Ron; he has flaws just like everybody else in the series. He's funny, brave and loving. I hate Ron-bashing. The same goes for Ginny too; I find her to be a very strong character in the books. I do think that her role wasn't filled out enough in the movies :( The way Harry fell for her randomly in the sixth movie was just .. meh. Anyway, if Ginny was a real person, I'd probably be good friends with her (then again, I'd probably want to be friends with almost everybody in the Harry Potter universe.) So, yes, no Weasley bashing of any kind! Harry and Hermione aren't stupid - they fell for those two for a reason. _

_Oh and yes, before I forget to mention, I decided **not **to make this story **strictly **movie-based, because there are some elements from the book I really desperately wanted to incorporate. So, bear with me if I randomly pop a moment in here that wasn't in the movies. I sincerely hope nobody gets confused :( _

_**Disclaimer:** I solemnly swear that no copyright infringement is intended. I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter and/or any of the characters mentioned._

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><p><span>Chatper 2: Here's to the Unforeseeable Future<span>

Heads turned to watch Harry's exhausted yet slightly jovial form walk through the entrance of the Great Hall with Ginny. He had always hated the attention, but after all those years of rumors and stories about him, he'd gotten used to it. Moreover, after the battle that occurred two days ago, he would have been a fool to not expect his renewed celebrity status. So naturally, when Harry felt eyes watch him in mostly awe and sympathy, his temporary light mood returned itself to its former darkness.

Harry was not so selfish, however, to display an aura of negativity merely a day after one of the most drastic events in Wizarding history; he made a genuine attempt to give a reassuring smile to everybody who had looked at him. After all, these were the people that had supported him until the very end. The least he could do, Harry figured, was to continue giving them a semblance of hope even amidst the tremendous grief for those who didn't survive.

A pang of guilt hit his insides as George Weasley looked up from his plate of untouched food to meet his gaze. Harry's mouth went dry: seeing George without his twin brother by his side was almost too much for anybody to bare. Everybody knew that the Weasley twins were inseperable; not a day went by when the two didn't finish each other's sentences, or even see each other. For a moment, Harry contemplated walking over to him, but soon realized that he wouldn't know what to say anyway. That and George hadn't said two words to another living soul; no jokes, no pranks ... nothing.

As Harry passed by George's seat, Ginny bid Harry goodbye and gently laid a hand on her brother's back, murmuring words of comfort in his one ear. He nodded, understanding the siblings' grief more than anything. Ginny flashed him a grateful smile as he walked away, joining his two best friends near the end of one of the tables (Harry noticed that all students and staff had spread out to all four House tables).

Ron and Hermione sat side by side, both with a plateful of food. Ron's left hand intertwined with Hermione's right as he ate hungrily, not saying anything, but occasionally giving his girlfriend a discreet smile. Hermione, Harry noticed, prodded her food with the fork in her left hand. Whether she wasn't eating because she was unable to eat properly with her non-dominant hand or because she simply had no appetite, he didn't know. Although, if Harry Potter knew her at all, he was pretty sure the reason would be the latter.

He quietly settled himself in front of the pair, like he usually did. The pair smiled as their best friend sat in front of them.

"Eat up, mate," Ron commanded as he nudged the numerous dishes toward him, "Merlin knows you need it. You too, Hermione!" he added when he saw that the girl beside him still hadn't touched her food.

Hermione smiled at him warmly with a nod before pointedly looking at Harry's empty plate. Harry raised his eyebrows before hastily scooping up mashed potatoes onto his plate. She smiled, satisfied and raised her food to her lips.

The moment flashed Harry back to the day of his first ever Quidditch game, when his best friends had prodded him to at least take a bit of toast to get himself ready for the match. Who knew that the golden snitch he'd nearly swallowed would be so critical in the destruction of Tom Riddle? Harry laughed in spite of himself. Hermione couldn't have said it better at the Forest of Dean ... _everything's changed_.

Harry swallowed the overly chewed food in his mouth for the sake of the people around him. Ron and Hermione would surely force feed him if he put off eating any longer. Harry looked towards Ginny's direction and saw that she was looking at him with a sad smile on her face. He returned the gesture. Yes, they had ended in good terms (better terms than he could have ever asked for), but a break-up is _still _a break-up. They'd both lived through the war expecting to be together by the end of it, and now they weren't - it would take time to get used to it.

"Did something happen?" Hermione eyed the distance between Harry and Ginny. She looked as if she just noticed that Ginny wasn't by Harry's side.

Ron looked up at Hermione's question and followed Harry's gaze, "Yeah ... are the pair of you having a row or something? I would've expected you both to be inseparable after all this was over."

Harry averted his eyes from the youngest Weasley and avoided his best friends' eyes. Staring at his plate, he muttered, "Ginny and I - we just broke up." He prodded at his food, waiting for his friends' reactions. He heard a very quiet "Oh." come from one of them; the sound was so soft that he couldn't even tell if it belonged to Ron or Hermione.

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Harry heard Ron clear his throat, "Well, uh, that's - that's okay, mate." Harry looked up at this. If he was being honest with himself, he actually had expected Ginny's older brother to be at least a little cross with him, but all that came was sincerity. "I mean, I thought you guys would last a while ... maybe even forever. But it's not the end of the world."

Harry smiled at the blushing ginger, "Thanks, Ron."

"No problem," Ron replied then added with a slight suspicion, "Y-you didn't think I was going to blow my top off over it, did you?"

"Maybe I did, and maybe I didn't," he grinned mischievously before Ron threw him a mocking glare.

It was only then that Harry noticed his other best friend's silence. He looked at Hermione and saw that her mouth was open, staring, almost aghast at Harry. He looked at her questioningly, "What?" Ron turned his attention to her too and started to worry when she stayed quiet.

"Hermione," he nudged, "Hermione, what's wrong?"

She immediately shook herself out of her state, "Nothing. I was just ... well, I'm surprised."

"So am I," Ron nodded, "But like I said, it's not the end of the world. Harry'll find someone else and so will Ginny."

Harry nodded in agreement, "Yeah, and it was completely amicable."

Harry saw his best friend smile at this; Ron had no doubt been worried over having to tiptoe around Harry and Ginny if they had broken up in bad terms. Hermione quickly put a smile on her face, trying to reassure Harry and Ron, "That's great then! I was just worried it'd be awkward around you two."

"Course not," Harry smiled feebly, "Honestly, after all we've been through ... well, we can _never _be anything less than friends, could we?"

Ron agreed as he smiled at his food, "Not even if you wanted to."

Harry smiled; Ronald Weasley had just taken the words right out of his mouth. It was usually Hermione who had that ability, "You read my mind, mate."

The boy grunted in agreement as he hastily bit off a turkey leg, "Go on, eat."

"Oh, honestly, Ronald," Hermione scolded, half amused, half annoyed as the hungry Ron accidentally sent a bit of white meat flying towards her hair, "Don't talk with your mouth full."

And the three of them laughed as they finally settled their food into their systems. Harry felt immensely better after telling his two best friends what had transpired between him and Ginny. He couldn't help but think how nice it was that, even for just a moment, it was as if they were just three kids smiling, completely unmarred by the war they'd just won.

... ... ... ... ... ... ...

"Harry."

Harry turned around to find the source of the low voice, his hands immediately reaching for his newly-fixed holly and phoenix wand. He quickly relaxed, though, as soon as he saw the figure who had called him, "Kingsley!"

Kingsley Shacklebolt beamed at the trio, sporting his usual robes. The Auror looked as exhausted as ever, yet Harry was sure he'd never seen the man look quite as happy as he did right about now, "How are you, Harry?"

"Alright," Harry grinned as he stepped forward and gave him a good-natured hug, "I'm getting better everyday."

"I'm glad to hear it," he replied and addressed the two next to the Boy Who Lived, "Hello, Ron. Hermione."

Ron and Hermione had turned around at the sound of Harry's name being called as well, ready to protect him from any trouble - whether it be a Death Eater or a demented fan girl. Upon seeing the calm and controlled man they've all worked closely with, however, they smiled and walked forward with their best friend to greet him.

"How are you, Kingsley?"

"Better than I've been ages," Kingsley replied, "The Ministry's still ... well ... practically non-existent at the moment, but it's gradually rebuilding."

"That's great," Harry said sincerely. He knew, however, that Kingsley hadn't come here simply for an exchange of formalities, so he thought it best to get straight to the point, "But what can I do for you?"

"Well, first, I suppose we should have this conversation somewhere else," Kingsley noted, nodding at the surrounding eyes that started to stare at the small group. Kingsley then leaned forward and spoke in a low voice, "The Great Hall's never been a good place to discuss discreet matters."

"Of course," Harry nodded, getting up from his seat. "We're done eating anyway."

Harry noticed Kingsley's slight hesitance when he had said "we", but it was promptly replaced with a nod; Kingsley Shacklebolt knew very well by now that whatever he needed to tell Harry, he could tell his two best friends as well. "Professor McGonagall's waiting for us at her office."

Harry frowned at this. Obviously, whatever topic the meeting would cover would somehow involve the "what now?" question in regards specifically to the seventeen-year-old. A part of him suspected that it had to do with whether or not he was going to return to Hogwarts, seeing as McGonagall was now the new Headmistress. However, this didn't address the fact that Kingsley was involved. Harry shared a quick glance with his best friends, to show them his confusion. Judging by the looks on their faces though, they were just as clueless as Harry was at the situation.

Kingsley caught the looks on the teenagers' faces and gave a small smile, "It'll all be explained in a bit. Come along."

The tall, dark-skinned Auror led them out the Great Hall and was immediately met with murmurs and over-enthusiastic greetings from everyone. After all, Kingsley was considered to be one of the leading Aurors and of course, the Golden Trio were endlessly praised. Fortunately, there were no people from the media to bombard them with interview questions - the Order members had made sure of that.

As soon as they had reached the gargoyle statue that led to the Headmistress's office, the gargoyle had let them pass. Harry figured that it recognized him or the others quite easily now and so just let them in. It still worried him, though, that it just opened without a password given. He figured it was alright immediately after the war when he had gone up to the office to inform Dumbledore of the Deathly Hallows' fates. But now, it was better to be safe than sorry. After all, it wouldn't be too hard for someone to pretend to be him if they had some Polyjuice in their system.

"Oh, I know," she explained when Kingsley had voiced Harry's thoughts, having been concerned about security as well, "Albus had made sure that Mr. Potter here could come in during the year in case he needed to. No amount of Polyjuice Potion can fool the powerful enchantments on it. But I will be putting up another password later so you needn't worry."

Kingsley nodded in approval, "Shall we get to matters, then?"

"Of course," McGonagall gave a curt, professional nod and motioned for them to sit on the chairs in front of her desk. She didn't seem surprised that Ron and Hermione was with Harry. On the contrary, she seemed to have expected it. "Well, since all three of you are here, I'd like to address matters concerning all three of you."

The three friends again exchanged a look, but not out of confusion this time. Harry immediately came to the conclusion that his two best friends were no doubt thinking as well; whatever McGonagall wanted to discuss, it must have something to do with their absence at Hogwarts for what was supposed to be their 7th year.

"As I'm sure you know, despite the fact that you were extremely helpful during the war, neither of you three are considered Hogwarts graduates," the elderly witch explained in a business-like, but not cold, manner, "Now, normally, this would be an immense problem because if you've any hopes of working for the Ministry of Magic, passing several N.E.W.T.s is a necessity."

Harry heard a small squeak beside him as Hermione's lips trembled. She was no doubt trembling at the thought of having an incomplete education. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Ron give her knee a reassuring squeeze as Harry gently smiled at them.

Harry knew by now that the Wizarding education system was not quite like the Muggle one. For one thing, it is possible to survive in the Muggle world with only a certain level of education. Harry was well aware that in the magical world, people usually had to graduate from a Wizarding school and any form of "higher education" would be determined by the amount of N.E.W.T.s that a student passed. There are exceptions, of course. The most evident being Fred (Harry had to force a lump back in his throat at the thought of the late twin) and George, who started their well-respected joke shop without finishing their schooling. But in the usual circumstance, students at least should have finished a full Wizarding education to be considered for any magical career.

"But like I've said, you were all at the forefront of this war and whatever it is you set out to do while away from Hogwarts had obviously been crucial to the downfall of Lord Voldemort. I can't say I was surprised when I found that you three weren't present at the start of term." She said with a slight lecturing tone.

"You three have given me more to worry about than any Professor should ever have. Over your years at this school, I had to stand by as your Head of House and watch you sneak out after hours, meddle in confidential affairs, irresponsibly seek out fully-grown mountain trolls ... "

Harry smiled as he chanced a glance at the bushy haired girl in between him and Ron. She was blushing furiously at the memory, remembering her noble purpose of getting the boys out of trouble after they had rushed to her rescue. Ron was looking down as McGonagall listed the troubles they've encountered over the years, but Harry was sure he saw him chuckle at the Halloween incident.

"Nevertheless," McGonagall continued, "I'm quite sure no other Gryffindors have made me so proud."

The three of them all lit up at her statement. McGonagall smiled genuinely at them, almost looking at them with motherly affection and of course, pride. Harry heard a small sniffle next to him as Hermione now whimpered, obviously touched by her favorite Professor's words.

"Now, then," she said, "Because of your contribution to this war during your absence, the three of you are allowed to return to Hogwarts to finish your 7th year, should you wish to do so."

Hermione's head shot up so quickly Harry assumed she would've gotten a whiplash. She was grinning heavily as she thanked Professor McGonagall. The elderly woman simply brushed off her gratitude, smiling. It was then that Kingsley started to speak.

"Now, despite Hermione's obvious interest," Kingsley started as Hermione blushed again, "I wanted to make sure you have options. As Professor McGonagall said, everyone acknowledges what you three have done to help with this war," The Auror pointedly looked at Harry with a smile, "So, naturally, should you choose not to return to Hogwarts, the Auror office has decided to offer you three a guaranteed spot for training without taking your N.E.W.T.s."

Harry grinned. His heart swelled with joy as he connected his emotions to the happiness he felt when he, Hermione and Ron first started Dumbledore's Army. It was that feeling that he made a difference because of something he, Harry, had done on his own. It made him feel appreciated and recognized for something he actually earned and deserved, rather than by his fame or luck.

"That's brilliant!" Harry exclaimed. But throughout his elation, Harry suddenly realized that the two women in the room were looking at him quite sadly, despite the forced smile on their faces, "Er ... Hermione ..."

She merely shook her head and gave him a weak smile, "Don't worry, I understand." Harry's heart ached to see her so hurt by his decision, but smiled at her for understanding. He then turned to Professor McGonagall, looking uncomfortable.

Professor McGonagall relieved him of his discomfort with a small smile, "It's quite alright, Mr. Potter. Although I am sad that you won't be coming back to Hogwarts, I'm not surprised at your decision. I'm very happy that you're finally able to fulfill your dream to become an Auror; your parents would've been very proud of you."

Harry smiled, a small drop of moisture forming in his eye. He swallowed before he embarrassed himself, "Thank you, Professor."

"I must say, though, I'm disappointed that you won't get to experience being Head Boy," Professor McGonagall said, "I was prepared to offer you the position. Ms. Granger, of course, will be Head Girl, assuming that she wishes to return."

Hermione let a small gasp escape, clearly happy at the news. Her face immediately fell, however, when she again realized that Harry had chosen _not _to return to Hogwarts. But even after this, she forced a smile and quietly said, "Of course you know my decision, Professor."

"I'm glad to hear it, Ms. Granger," McGonagall added, "Of course, if Mr. Weasley decides to return, the offer for Head Boy would go to him. I had quite a hard time deciding between him and Mr. Potter."

Harry looked at Ron and was happy to see that he didn't seem put off by the fact that McGonagall had chosen him for the first-choice as Head Boy. He did wonder, though, what Ron's response would be. He had assumed that his best mate would jump at the opportunity to become an Auror without N.E.W.T.s as well, but now that Harry looked at him, he wasn't so sure.

"Ron?" Harry asked, "What about you?"

"Of course you know I want to, mate." Harry smiled at this, "But I'm afraid I can't accept the offer, Kingsley, sorry ..."

Hermione's face lit up, clearly happy about the fact that although she won't see Harry throughout the year like she was accustomed to, Ron would still be around. Harry smirked at the thought - of course, now that they were together, he assumed that Hermione would rather have _just_ Ron hanging around her anyway. The thought bothered him a little. After all, he would terribly miss the pair of them, but he understood that their current relationship has changed things between the three of them now and he wasn't going to ruin that. It also eased his guilt for happily choosing not to return without considering her reaction; if he wasn't going to be around for her, at least Ron would be.

"I'm honored, Professor," Ron continued, "But I won't be returning to Hogwarts either."

At this, Harry was completely caught off-guard. And, judging by the look on Hermione's face, she was as well. If Ron wasn't going to Hogwarts, and he wasn't going to train to be an Auror, what was he planning on doing?

"George is going to need some help running the joke shop," he explained with a sad voice, "You know, now that Fred's not ... around."

A tear immediately escaped Hermione's right eye as she lovingly rubbed Ron's back, comforting him from the obvious pain he was in. Harry again felt guilty, the loss of Fred, Remus, Tonks, Colin and many others haunted him yet again. And although he's tried his best to improve, Harry couldn't help but revert to his old method of thinking: _it's all my fault._

Harry refused to look at any of them as Kingsley cleared his throat, "Well, then ... Ron, if you wish to go into training after you help George, the offer still stands. The same offer goes to you as well, Hermione."

The two muttered their thanks to Kingsley, the tension obviously thick in the air now. It was only then that Harry realized something.

"Wait, Kingsley," Harry said abruptly, "Do you mean to say this offer just goes to the three of us?"

"Yes, of course," Kingsley nodded, confused as to why Harry was questioning his offer.

"I see," Harry replied quietly. He pondered this for a moment. It was true that he, Ron and Hermione had done a lot to help out, but somehow he felt it wasn't fair for the others. Surely, the other people who were at Hogwarts deserved a similar offer as well. After all, even if they did attend Hogwarts, they didn't get a quality education throughout the year. Harry's thoughts immediately went to Neville as he killed Nagini with the sword of Gryffindor. He should be offered the same privilege too, shouldn't he? And the rest of Dumbledore's Army who had so fully supported him even though they were being tortured by the Carrows ... well, they should be offered the same privilege too, shouldn't they?

Harry nodded at himself as he cleared his throat and looked at Kingsley kindly, "I'm sorry, Kingsley, but I'm afraid I can't take you up on your offer."

All four of the people in the room did a double take. Even Hermione, who had started to shed silent tears looked completely shocked. Kingsley started to sputter, "B-but, why not? I thought you'd wanted to be an Auror, Harry."

"I do," Harry smiled, "More than anything. But ... it seems unfair, don't you think?"

"What does, mate?" Ron questioned.

"Well," he replied, "Not unfair to me. But to everyone else who fought in the war. I'm sorry, Kingsley, I know you didn't do this intentionally, but I just think other people who have fought in this war who didn't get a chance to take their N.E.W.T.s because of the extreme conditions at Hogwarts throughout the year should receive the same offer. If they're offered the same opportunity, I would gladly accept."

"I mean, don't you think Neville, for example, deserves something like this? He truly contributed to the downfall of Lord Voldemort, not to mention how he led people to stand their ground at Hogwarts throughout the year."

Throughout his speech, Kingsley nodded in understanding. Professor McGonagall smiled proudly at him. She, no doubt, was glad that even after all the praise he's received, Harry was still just as thoughtful of others as ever. Ron looked dumbstruck, the initial shock of Harry's refusal to take the offer still lingered on his face, but he obviously agreed with Harry. Hermione just looked like she wanted to attack Harry with her hugs.

"You really are one of the kindest people I know," Kingsley laughed, shaking his head, "I will take up your proposition at the Auror office and I'm quite sure they'll agree. I wish I'd thought of the idea myself. The other students who proved themselves worthy to be an Auror, should, in fact, be inducted into training should they wish to do so. Of course, you still have the option to return to Hogwarts if you change your mind, Harry. "

He then looked at his watch and sighed, "I'm afraid I have to be leaving soon." Kingsley stood up and shook McGonagall's hand, "I'll have to meet with you and Harry again sometime then, Minerva."

Harry didn't fail to notice the fact that Kingsley only mentioned him and not his two best friends this time. He was curious. Surely, they know by now that he'd tell the other two anything.

"Of course, Kingsley," she nodded, "Goodbye." As McGonagall saw the look on Harry's face, she explained, "Don't worry, Harry. It's just that for legal matters, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley cannot be present during our next meeting, you can, of course, tell them all about it afterward."

Harry nodded in relief at the explanation, but still remained curious as to what the subject would entail.

Kingsley then shook hands with Hermione, Ron and finally Harry before heading towards the door, "It really is an honour getting to know you, Mr. Potter. I'll keep you informed about the matter once I get in touch with the Auror Office."

Harry felt his cheeks warm at his comment. He's glad that his idea was met with welcoming consideration. The burning guilt he felt about the losses died down a little. "Thank you, Kingsley. See you next time."

Soon after, Professor McGonagall dismissed them. Harry, Ron and Hermione left the door quietly.

"I wonder what that future private meeting will be about." Ron wondered aloud as he started to descend the stairs. Harry shrugged, as he followed Ron down. However, Hermione stopped him by grabbing his arm and hastily giving him a bone-crushing hug.

"Hermione!" Harry exclaimed, "What-?"

She pulled back and smiled warmly at Harry, "You're a great wizard, Harry."

"Not as good as you," Harry replied, remembering the memory of a twelve-year-old Hermione telling him to be careful. "Why are you enlightening me with this information, though?"

"Because you deserve it, Harry." she stood on her toes and kissed him atop his messy jet black hair and whispered, "You're amazing."

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><p><em>And that is all! I'm so sorry for the wait, I know it must be really annoying! And I'm sorry if I have any grammar errors or typos ... I don't really have a beta. Anyway, please please please tell me what you think by leaving a review! It'll let me know how many people are interested in this story and it might also motivate me to write faster! But if you really don't want to review, then that's okay :) <em>

_Thanks for reading!_


	3. The Disturbances in the Normalcy

_Aw, just 3 reviews? :( Well, you don't know how happy those alerts make me though! And the favorites as well! But seriously, the reviews make me even absolutely ecstatic! Getting feedback makes me want to update faster (:_

_**Disclaimer:** I solemnly swear that no copyright infringement is intended. I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter and/or any of the characters mentioned._

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><p><span>Chatper 3: The Disturbances in the Normalcy<span>

Harry was astounded to find that the week after the war passed by fairly quickly. For the past several days, practically all of Wizarding Britain had come to Hogwarts to volunteer in the rebuilding of the school. Most of the participants of the war had been invited to stay at Hogwarts for as long as they helped as Aurors took turns guarding the school throughout the day from any wayward Death Eaters. Gradually, it seemed as though everything had gone back to normal ... or, at least as normal as Harry had ever felt.

He, Ron and Hermione had all been sleeping in the private common room that was usually reserved for the Head Boy and Head Girl. The three of them being who they are had urged the members of the Order to allow them some privacy as per their requests. They didn't sleep in the separate dormitories, however, because although the two boys were fine sharing the Head Boy's dorm, Hermione didn't want to sleep alone in the Head Girl's dorm. After spending practically a year together in a tent, the eighteen-year-old was finding herself unable to sleep without her boys. She was reluctant to ask them, of course, but Harry and Ron apparently shared the sentiment - they would sleep better having her in plain sight. Seeing as both the Head Girl's and Head Boy's dorms were both charmed so that the opposite sex couldn't enter, the three had levitated the two beds down to the common room. Hermione and Ron had taken the beds while Harry slept on the enormous and comfortable couch positioned at the head of the two beds (Harry's insistence, of course). Harry was sure this was the most comfortable sleeping arrangement he's had the entire year.

Normalcy felt as though it's finally giving him a visit. There were really only two disturbances that he's experienced in the past week and both had to do with his sleeping arrangement. To Harry, perhaps the most unusual occurrence was the fact that he no longer had nightmares. Harry embraced the situation, of course, because this lack of subconscious disturbances reinforced the idea that Voldemort was _truly _gone. What Harry found ironic, however, was the fact that in exchange of his recurring nightmares, he seemed to have acquired a new sleeping disorder: night terrors.

It first happened on their third night back at Hogwarts. Harry had woken up the next morning with a blistering sore throat. He looked at the two beds, finding them empty and neat. Just as he was about to conjure up a glass of water for his throat, he heard quiet footsteps coming from the entrance of the spacious common room. There was a loud belch, followed by a hushed, "Honestly, Ron! I told you to be quiet."

"I couldn't help it, now could I?" Ron retorted in an equally hushed tone, "It's a perfectly natural - "

"Shh! You'll wake him up!" Hermione hushed, ignoring the red-head. In an instant, Harry saw his best friends' shadows loom closer, before finally greeting them with a grin when they came into view. Hermione looked aghast, "Harry! We're sorry, did we wake you up?"

Harry was about to brush off her apology when she immediately elbowed Ron, "See, look what you did!"

Just as Ron was about to retort, Harry swooped in, "Guys! Don't worry, I was already awake when you came in."

"See?" Ron rolled his eyes, plopping down next to Harry on the oversized couch, "You worry too much, Hermione."

Hermione huffed, sitting on Harry's other side, "How're you feeling? You must've had an awful night." She touched his forehead worriedly, an act that confused Harry to no end. He scrunched his eyebrows at her questioningly, "Harry, you don't have to hide it. We know about your nightmares."

Harry stared at her. He tilted his head in confusion as he looked from Hermione to Ron, "What? What nightmares?"

Ron sighed, "Oh, come on, mate. Just tell us."

"Tell you what?" He was genuinely bewildered now. _Am I missing something? _

"Harry, you were yelling and crying for about twenty minutes in the middle of the night, over there," Ron pointed at the window, "Hermione and I tried to calm you down, but you weren't even budging. After a while, you just fell back asleep. We had to levitate you back to the couch."

"I - wait, what?" Harry asked loudly, "W-what? No, I wasn't! I honestly had a great night's sleep."

Ron scoffed, "Oh come off it!"

"Wait," Hermione interrupted, holding Harry's arm, "Harry, you mean to say you don't remember yelling or ... or dreaming anything?"

Harry shook his head, "No, I really really don't." His throat suddenly blistered and he remembered why exactly he wanted water right before his friends' arrival, "But if I really was yelling, then ... well, that explains my throat. It really hurts." Harry automatically placed his cool hand on his throat, swallowing.

Hermione immediately took out her wand and immediately conjured up a goblet and filled it with water, "_Aguamenti_. Here."

He silently nodded in thanks before relishing the water cooling down his blistering throat, "You're a godsend, Hermione."

From the corner of his eye, he noticed her roll her eyes at him, but with a smile nonetheless. After he had finished drinking his water, he let out a deep breath and cleared his throat, "Loads better."

"So what d'you reckon happened to you last night?" Ron asked, concern evident all over his face, "I can't imagine a nightmare scaring you that much without you remembering it. Honestly, mate, you looked really terrified."

"I dunno," Harry shrugged, curious about the incident, "Did I say anything peculiar?"

"No, you didn't say anything at all," Hermione piped in quickly, "But it was really scary, Harry. You were yelling as if ... as if you were being t-tortured or ... or ... "

Ron immediately went to Hermione's side, consoling her as her lips started to tremble, "What's the matter?" He gently hugged her when tears started to flow freely from her eyes, "Hey, it's okay."

For his part, Harry held one of Hermione's hands, silently urging her to continue. She squeezed his hand in return and softly squeaked, "It's just, last night, you sounded like ... like you were back there again."

"Back where?"

"The tent," she cried, "After Godric's Hollow."

Harry looked like he'd prefer if she hit his head with a beater's bat instead.

When Ron looked at Harry questioningly, he shook his head and mouthed _later_. Ron nodded in understanding, realizing that the subject was touchy. Suddenly, he cleared his throat and got up, letting Hermione go, "Hey, you know, Harry, you haven't had breakfast yet. I think there's still some left, why don't I go get you some?" He pointedly looked at Hermione then back at Harry.

Harry nodded, grateful that his friend wasn't pushing the subject, "Yeah, I'll - thanks, mate."

"Be back in a bit." Ron nodded. Just before he disappeared from the entryway, he looked back at Harry and pointed at Hermione, silently willing Harry to make sure she was alright.

Harry smiled as he let Hermione rest on his shoulder, glad that after a long time of suspecting that he and Hermione had something going on, Ron was finally able to trust them. He immediately sighed when he looked at Hermione's bloodshot eyes - the girl was really bothered by whatever it was that had happened to Harry the night before. This, in turn, bothered him to no end. How was he supposed to make her feel better and reassure her when he didn't even remember the episode? He didn't even know why it happened. But what he _did _remember was that night after Godric's Hollow; he swallowed hard at the thought, refocusing his mind on Hermione.

"It wasn't like that, Hermione," Harry whispered, realizing the only thing he can do was at least reassure her that he wasn't in the same pain he was in during the incident after Godric's Hollow. Granted, the memory of having to watch his parents die was still burned deeply and painfully in his mind. She didn't have to know that, though. Hermione didn't have to know that he had buried the memory deep within, and that up until she brought it up now ... well, he'd been doing a good job of trying to forget. "I promise that I'll tell you if it did."

"I know that, Harry, I believe you," Hermione sniffed, "But it's just ... hearing you last night, it - it was as if you were back there again. It was the same scream, the same agony in your voice. Except ... well except this time you don't even know it happened."

"Yeah, why is that?" Harry asked, eager to deviate from the topic of his dead parents, "I mean, usually when I have a nightmare that bad, I remember."

"I'm pretty sure you're having night terrors, Harry."

"There's a difference?"

"Yes," Hermione nodded. She immediately wiped the remaining tears on her cheeks and entered full-lecture mode, earning a chuckle from Harry, "It's mostly a muggle term, but I suppose it can still apply to wizards. A nightmare is simply a really terrifying dream, while a night _terror _is simply that - terror experienced at night when an individual's already in deep sleep. Now, in the muggle world, much of the psychological research doesn't actually show what causes these night terrors. But there are some muggle-born wizards and witches over the century that became Healers, but also studied certain aspects of muggle science. Some of these Healers actually have some theories about wizards or witches that get these terrors. From what I've read, some thought that these terrors are usually prevalent in deep sleep because it's when a wizard or witch are truly vulnerable - their magic is at its most natural and peaceful state. So, when a wizard or witch is going through some troubling or stressful times, their emotions resonate with these feelings of terror ... and usually the individual's unaware of it even happening."

Harry closed his slightly open mouth as he nodded, trying to process the information that Hermione just offered, "Okay, well I certainly didn't get all of that ... but basically what you're saying is that I get terrified at night without me knowing it because my guard's down?"

"In a nutshell, yes," Hermione nodded, "Which is why I'm worried about you, Harry."

"Hermione-"

"No, listen. Even if you're not aware of it, there's obviously something bothering you - something you want to get off your chest."

"I hear you, Hermione, I do," Harry reasoned, trying to keep his frustration down, "But how am I supposed to get it off my chest when I don't even know what it is?"

Hermione didn't know how to answer this; Harry didn't expect her to. This all sounded too mysterious to him. Based on his muggle knowledge, he figured this was sort of in the field oh psychology, except now it's magical psychology. He didn't know if there even was such a thing in the Wizarding world, but if there is, Harry was sure it'd be a lot more complex than muggle psychology. To him, anyway.

After a short while, Hermione sighed and broke the silence, "Just promise me you'll tell me if there's anything bothering you."

Harry smiled at her as he raised his right hand over his heart and traced a cross, "Cross my heart."

The bushy-haired girl shook her head in amusement and gave him a gentle hug, "You're my best friend, Harry."

"Really? I had no idea." Harry remarked sarcastically. Before she could get a chance to hex him though, Harry quickly added comically, "I'm kidding, don't hurt me!"

For her part, Hermione grinned, "You're an idiot, you know that?"

"Well so is Ron, but that's why you're stuck with us," Harry replied cheekily, happy that Hermione's stress levels had obviously gone down. He did catch, however, the slight frown that had formed on his best friend's delicate face, "What, what did I say?"

Immediately, Hermione smoothed out her frown and gave him a reassuring smile, "Nothing, I'm just ... it's still a bit surreal."

He nodded his head slowly, "Yeah, I know. I can't believe it's over either."

"Well yeah, that," she murmured.

Harry looked at her sceptically; he felt as though he might have misunderstood her original meaning. "Wait, did you mean something else?"

She shook her head and muttered a quick "no" right when the portrait hole swung open to reveal a cautious Ron carrying a tray full of food. Harry didn't fail to notice that his mouth was full of something as he slowly took a step into the common room. As soon as he had caught a whiff of the food, Harry's stomach growled loudly.

Ron snorted after swallowing his food, "Someone's hungry."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I should've known you were going to eat again."

"Well there were a lot left and I know Harry doesn't eat _that _much. I'm helping out the bloke," Ron countered, offended, "I would think my good intentions were appreciated a bit more but - "

"Fine, Ronald! I believe you," Hermione interrupted, raising her right hand up to humor him.

Harry was grateful that Hermione stopped their small banter from turning into a bitter argument. Appreciative, he smiled at the pair of them before taking the tray from Ron's hands and stuffing his mouth in a fairly good impersonation of Ron.

And that was Harry's discovery of his night terrors. There was also the matter of the other oddity in Harry's life after the war.

It happened later on that same day. Harry and Ron were at the grounds, where there are currently hundreds of people attending to the damage caused by the war. The trio had insisted on helping with most of the more manual labor, but with the Order's insistence, they were only to do minimal work and rest occasionally. Ron was grateful, Hermione was annoyed and Harry was guilty. Despite this, however, they adhered to the demands. According to Hermione, getting the castle back in shape required a great deal of organization and the three of them would be more helpful if they just listened. So, Hermione, along with most of the young witches, was confined to the kitchen's helping as much as she could in the short one hour shift that McGonagall had allowed her to help while Harry and Ron shoveled and carried rubble out of the site.

"You know, I don't understand why we can't just levitate them," Ron complained lightly, "It'll be much less tiring and we'll be of more help."

"Professor Flitwick said it'll cause too much accidents," Harry replied as he pushed a cart filled with stones out of the way, "Makes sense though. Imagine all of us levitating a bunch of little stones everywhere. It'll just rain rubble."

"I suppose," Ron murmured, "Still feel like I'm under-age all over again though."

Harry chuckled at Ron's distress. Unlike Harry, he wasn't used to "muggle" labor. At least, not when he's already of age.

"Harry! Ron!" Neville shouted, stalking towards them, "Let me take over. McGonagall says your shift's over."

The pair nodded heading towards the castle to find Hermione. As soon as they passed the Entrance hall, however, Ron rounded on Harry, "Hey mate, do you mind if we go to the hospital wing?"

Harry's brows furrowed before he nodded, "Of course. Why, are you feeling alright?"

"Oh yeah," Ron nodded, ushering him towards the ward where Harry had spent way too much of his time at Hogwarts, "Just a little sore, yaknow."

Harry was puzzled. Ron certainly didn't look like he was injured or hurt in any way, but he sure was acting in an odd manner. He let his best friend pull him towards the Hospital Wing, where Madam Pomfrey was tending to some wizards and witches who _were _injured. As they entered, Madam Pomfrey spotted them, immediately putting on a worried glance.

"Potter, Weasley," she whispered, "What's the matter?"

Just as Harry was about to tell her that Ron wasn't feeling too great, Ron interrupted, "Madam Pomfrey, Harry isn't feeling well."

"What?" Harry asked bewildered, "Ron, I feel fine, I thought you - "

"He says it's nothing, but he was hit with a bunch of curses and hexes during the war and he looked as if he was about to pass out earlier," Ron cut in quickly, causing more and more etches of worry in the mediwitch's face.

"Very well," Madam Pomfrey nodded, leading the two towards an empty bed, "Weasley, stay with him and I'll be back and I'll check for anything peculiar."

"Thank you, Madam Pomfrey," Ron nodded appreciatively. He waited until she was out of ear-shot before rounding on Harry, "Right, now that's dealt with."

"What in the world are you playing at?" Harry asked, a little angrily. He hated being treated this way - Ron knew that. He was perfectly fine.

"Calm down, mate," Ron said quietly, "I just wanted to talk to you alone for a bit."

Harry blinked, "Oh."

"Alright, it's only a matter of time before Hermione finds us, so I'll just make this quick," Ron said, "You mind telling me what she was on about this morning?"

"Right," Harry sighed. In all honesty, he wasn't sure if he wanted to recount the story of Godric's Hollow. It was, after all, one of the most emotionally painful experiences Harry's ever been through. That, in and of itself, was already saying something.

Ron must have caught his discomfort because he immediately added, "I ... well, you don't _have _to tell me. I just .. well, I thought - "

"No, Ron, it's okay," Harry interjected, "I was going to tell you anyway. It's just a little ... well, I might as well just tell you now."

And Harry had explained to him. He explained how he dreamt - no, _experienced _- that he was Voldemort on the Halloween that his parents were killed. He explained how Voldemort had mercilessly killed his father and mother - how _Harry _was in his head as he did so. How he felt that he'd killed his own parents. How he felt that he'd almost tried to kill his one-year-old self. He then went on about what happened when he woke up: Hermione was distraught, explaining to him that the locket had almost burned itself on his chest. By the end of his tale, Ron looked as though he'd rather not have known, but instead, patted Harry's shoulder.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there, mate." he whispered apologetically, "Really, I am."

Harry was lost in his thoughts. He wanted to reassure Ron that it was alright. That he'd forgiven him. Well, hedid forgive him ... but it wasn't alright, now that Harry thought about it. He felt terrible for thinking this. After all, Ron had expressed his guilt over leaving, but that doesn't heal the wounds that he'd inflicted upon Harry in a flash. After minutes of silence, Madam Pomfrey came back into view and pulled a screen around Harry, testing him for various damages.

It only took a few minutes before Madam Pomfrey finished, telling Harry she'd be back as it takes the detection spells a few minutes to show the results. When she'd left, Harry was covered in some soft, multi-coloured light that hovered in the air. Before long, Ron spoke again, "I was a jealous git."

Harry looked at him then, "What?"

"When I left," Ron murmured, avoiding Harry's eyes, "I was jealous. But it wasn't just that. I - I think I'd just realized what I really felt for Hermione when I saw how much she took care of you. How much she defended you. It's stupid, I know. I mean, it doesn't take a genius to see that I've been sort of interested in her since fourth year. Still though, I didn't know I _cared _about her in that way. And I was sure she felt the same way too, you know. But that bloody locket just got to me. And it was scary because ... well, because it didn't show _made up_ stuff. It showed me actual things that happened. Hermione always stuck by you, Harry. Even more than I did. She talks about you a lot, too. But then later on, I realized, that ... well, she did care about you, but she wanted to be with me anyway. She cared about the both of us ... but she wanted to be _with me._ I mean, I'm not blind. I know she felt something for me when I was with Lavender."

Harry smiled solemnly, "Yeah, that was a terrible mistake on your part."

"I know," Ron chuckled, "But it helped the both of us realize some stuff, didn't it? Couldn't be all bad."

"I guess not," Harry admitted.

"But see, Harry," Ron continued, "I was still right anyway. In a way, I was. When I left and I told her that she chose you - I was right."

"Ron, she stayed beca-"

"-because we promised to help you, yeah," Ron finished for him, "I get that, Harry, I do. But think about it, Harry. When you told us that you were a - a horcrux. That's when I realized it. She volunteered to go with you. She'll _go with you._ Hermione's not stupid, we both know that. Going with you didn't mean that you wouldn't die. Going with you didn't mean that Voldemort would kill only her and not you. Going with you doesn't change anything except the fact that she'll be with you until the end - like she's always been. She wasn't sacrificing herself for you. No, she was sacrificing the both of you. Because she can't live without you. She'd rather die with you than live with anybody else."

Harry sighed. He didn't quite know what to say anymore. Now that Ron had said it out loud, Harry realized that he was right. If Harry hadn't objected - if he hadn't told her to kill the snake - she would've gone with him. She would've died with him and left Ron.

"I'm not saying that there's anything going on between you two," Ron smiled, "I learned my lesson on that. But I'm saying there _could be _if either of you wanted it. You and Hermione ... you have a connection that goes even deeper than anybody else I know, Harry. Yeah, maybe she's not in love with you. And yeah, maybe you're not in love with her. But you love each other - you need each other."

"Ron - "

"I'm not mad, mate. I've no right to be," Ron smiled sadly, "And even if I did have the right, I still wouldn't be. The two of you are my best friends. All I'm saying is that ... if there's ever a time when you two do fall in love with each other. Well, I'll be alright with it as long as you're honest."

"Ron," Harry whispered, the glow of light illuminating his body starting to intensify. His voice suddenly caught on his throat. He felt a pressure on his chest.

"Harry? You alright?" Ron asked, "Look, I didn't say all of that to -"

"No, I know," Harry nodded, his breath coming in short gasps. The light surrounding him was now a solid red - blood red. Suddenly, he realizes that the tightness in his chest had nothing to do with Ron's speech, "I - I can't - "

Madam Pomfrey appeared then, shouting something incoherent. The light suddenly vanished, and Harry saw Ron being ushered away from his bed while a blur of colors intoxicated him into a slumber.

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><p><em>Well, that was that! Please do review :) It's really good motivation for me to get going with the updates a lot quicker. I'm working on a new HHr story, by the way, but I don't want to post it just yet because I've only written one chapter and my muse might disappear (let's hope not). Anyhoo, thanks for reading! <em>


	4. That Cliché Conversation by the Lake

_People, you are amazing. That is all I have to say. Your favorites, your alerts ... they make me so happy. And your reviews? Well, they mean the world to me! I love you guys. :')_

_**BloodWar - **Thanks so much for your feedback! I actually intended to have Harry and Ginny have a heart-to-heart later on in the story, but your review made me realize you're right! She should appear more in the beginning because I really do want to establish her friendship with Harry. So, with your review in mind, I moved the conversation I had planned for later into this chapter and expanded it! I hope it's up to par. _

**_Katesmom2 - _**_Thanks for reading and reviewing this story since the very beginning! (: You're amazing! I hope you love this story even more with this chapter and continue to enjoy it! And hint - Harry's night terrors will resurface later (or at least that's what I have planned right now) but there's nothing too wrong with him. I can't stand hurting Harry too much even in fanfiction, haha. _

_**And to everyone else who reviewed** - you're all awesome. Amazing. Stupendous. Wonderful. Beautiful. Sublime. And every other good adjective there is in the OED. _

_**Disclaimer:** I solemnly swear that no copyright infringement is intended. I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter and/or any of the characters mentioned._

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><p><span>Chatper 4: That Cliché Conversation by the Lake<span>

Harry breathed in the fresh spring air as he sat by the lake. Since the hospital wing incident, he'd been confined to lay low for the rest of the week; meaning no strenuous activities (like helping rebuild Hogwarts) of any kind. Harry, of course, would have none of it. After countless amounts of begging, Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall allowed him to resume helping that Sunday, provided that he report any physically ill feelings that might occur. He'd promised he would, and of course, Hermione made sure he did.

According to Ron, the bushy-haired young witch had practically burst her veins when she entered the hospital wing to find her boys. Apparently, Dean had spotted them going to the hospital wing and when Hermione had asked around for them, she was directed to her destination. She said that when she arrived, Madam Pomfrey was frantically spewing out spells over Harry's unconscious body while Ron waited a small distance away.

Harry had regained consciousness not long after the incident. When he opened his eyes, he was met with an all-too-familiar scene: a bloodshot Hermione with a relieved Ron. Fortunately, Madam Pomfrey informed them that Harry's episode was merely an effect of magical exhaustion. Harry was happy to hear it, of course. He didn't want to revel in the fact that he was alive only to have it taken away all too quickly not by a dark lord, but by some terminal illness. He thanked Madam Pomfrey, but Hermione was far from being worry-free. She had informed the mediwitch of Harry's previous night terror, believing that it might be linked to Harry's physical exhaustion. Madam Pomfrey had said that some wizards have reported these terrors in the past after suffering from magical exhaustion, but there haven't been any proven theories that link the two together. She did, however, assure the younger witch that she was sure it wouldn't be anything too serious, as past patients had said the terrors did no physical harm and had eventually dissipated. Hermione's worry had lessened then, but she continued to fret over Harry since then, making sure that he wouldn't hide any pain he might go through.

Fortunately for Harry, he had but one experience of discomfort. Initially, he planned to let it go unnoticed, but with Hermione gawking his every move, he knew the plan was pointless. She had noticed his slight wince when he raised himself from his seat after breakfast one day, and she had immediately interrogated him about it and eventually forced him to report to Madam Pomfrey. It turned out to be a slight bruising on his sides (which Madam Pomfrey fixed in a second). Hermione wasn't embarrassed though. "It's better to be safe than sorry, Harry!" she had retorted.

But it was Saturday already and Harry had no other pain or disturbances. Ron and Hermione even said that he hadn't had a night terror for the past three nights. This means he would be able to resume helping the next day. All in all, he felt fairly content with the current state of things. His two best friends were both doing their shifts so Harry did what he always did when he had nothing else to do: sit by the lake.

Harry was enjoying the bright sunlight when he noticed a shadow loom over his spot by the grass. He gripped his wand quickly before turning around to meet his guest.

"If I'd wanted to attack you, Harry, I wouldn't just stand here," Ginny smiled, sitting next to him. Her flaming red hair fanned around her shoulders and looked as though they were alive under the sunlight. She looked beautiful.

Harry chuckled, quickly letting go of his wand, "Sorry, force of habit."

Ginny shook her head, "Don't worry."

"What's up?" Harry asked, somewhat uncomfortably. He's just realized that he hadn't spoken to Ginny alone since they broke up a week ago.

"Oh, I just finished helping," she replied, holding up her hands. They were covered with soot. "Floo network clean up. I actually had the chance to _not _work in the kitchens today. Honestly, the amount of double-standard around here sometimes still astounds me. Some of those boys could carry half the weight I can."

Harry laughed. It wasn't hard for him to imagine an angry Ginny Weasley lecturing boys that she can do more than they all can put together.

"What?" Ginny inquired when he continued to laugh. She seemd amused enough, but curious as well, "I'm not that funny, Harry. Don't flatter me."

"No, you definitely are," Harry nodded, "It's just really easy conjuring up an image in my head where you give even the bravest wizards your famous Weasley glare and have them at your mercy within seconds."

"Ha, you make me sound like such a _witch_!" Ginny jested with a wink. Harry laughed again, clutching his stomach. "Okay, I'll admit, that one _was _one of my funnier ones."

"There you go," He responded, "That's always been one of the qualities that got me head over heels for you."

The laughter stopped there. The atmosphere immediately tensed and Harry wished he'd just kept his mouth shut. Conversations with girls about these matters had never been his strong suit. The only girl his age that he could speak to about practically anything without accidentally making it awkward was Hermione. _If only every girl was like her_, Harry thought disdainfully, _Or actually, if only conversations with other girls are as easy as it always is with her ... __life would be much simpler_.

"Life hates me," Harry muttered quietly to himself. He glanced sideways at Ginny and was surprised to see she was smiling at him, "What?"

"It's either you're incredibly obvious or I just know you quite well," Ginny commented, looking away.

"Probably a little bit of both, but what do you mean?"

"I mean," she said, still looking ahead, "You didn't make me uncomfortable with what you said Harry. But your reaction to it sure created tension."

"Oh." Harry said dumbly. "Sorry."

She rolled her eyes without looking at him, "Stop saying sorry, Harry. It's natural. We're exes now, but we're still friends, remember? It's going to be awkward sometimes, sure. But it doesn't have to be."

He nodded, "Right."

After a while, she finally turned to look at him. "So ... what else got you 'head over heels' for me?" Ginny nudged his side with her elbow, "You know, only if you don't mind me asking."

"Er, well, I don't know," Harry let out a breathy laugh, "You're brave, smart, funny - "

"Ah, the typical answer," Ginny rolled her eyes, "The same could be said for more than half the girls in Gryffindor, Harry."

"Well, it's true!" Harry chuckled, "And you're strong ... you know, you're not quite too girly."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, like ... Quidditch and things. Not a lot of girls are like that. And you're my friend too. Besides Hermione, you're the only girl around my age I could really talk to comfortably. I mean, even Luna still manages to make me uncomfortable sometimes. Let's see, what else? Well, there's the fact that whenever I was with you, I didn't quite feel obligated to be anything. I mean, with the whole wizarding world always on my back about things, it's such a relief to be with someone who can make me feel normal." Harry finished. He gave a sigh of relief when he saw that Ginny seemed content with his answer. Then, he thought of reversing the tables, "Well, can I ask you a question now then?" She nodded her assent and Harry continued, "Do you think we would've broken up if the war hadn't happened?"

Ginny contemplated this a bit before answering, "No."

Harry remained silent. He looked down at the grass, not knowing what to say. He was hoping that wouldn't be her answer. To Harry, her answer meant that they could have made a mistake by breaking up. In his mind, if a relationship was really that strong, then it wouldn't be affected by any external force - not even war.

"Because I don't think we would've gotten together in the first place," Ginny finished.

Harry looked up and saw her sad smile, "Really?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "Don't get me wrong, Harry. I didn't just like you because of your role in this war. I mean, you know that right?"

"Of course, I do."

"But that _is _still how I first grew attracted to you. I had a crush on the Boy-Who-Lived. Of course, I grew out of that and I eventually got to know you and liked you for who you are. It's just, well, I just think ... well, the whole war thing. It made us really ... I don't know, on-edge. For one thing, we both tried to grow up way too fast. Like there was too much pressure. With us being so involved in the war, there was a lot of pressure to just _live_ because we might die tomorrow."

"Just imagine, Harry, if we lived in a world where you _weren't _the Boy-Who-Lived," Ginny continued, "Where you didn't feel obligated to leave or if Voldemort hadn't returned to power. If we were just two teenagers living as normal as we possibly could. Sure, we might have tried to go on a date or two, but that doesn't guarantee a relationship. I mean, yes, we like each other enough, but ... well, that's not enough, you know?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "I know."

Ginny suddenly laughed, "I guess this is what you meant by me being 'smart'."

"Oh yeah," he smiled, happy that he was able to have a normal conversation with Ginny even with their history, "Absolutely. You're not bad on the eyes either." He paused and looked at her tentatively. He'd never been good at complimenting one's looks without sounding too ridiculous. But he felt that after their conversation, he could pull it off. To his surprise, he did pull it off. Ginny looked amused and shook her head, "What, you can't be surprised Ginny! I mean, excepting Ron, my entire dormitory's been attracted to you."

"Really?" Ginny asked, "I mean, obviously, there's you and Dean. Then there's Seamus who's ... let's face it, he's had a crush on a lot of girls so I'm not quite surprised. But Neville?"

Harry nodded, "Oh yeah. Any guy could tell. I think it was because of the whole Yule Ball thing."

"We only went as friends," Ginny murmured with a slightly flushed face, "It wasn't like a real date or anything."

"I know," Harry said slowly. He wasn't expecting Ginny to act quite so defensively, "Well, don't worry, I think he stopped seeing you that way when we went out last year."

"Wait, _just _last year?" she asked, surprised, "That means he liked me for two years?"

"I never said he liked you, Gin!" Harry replied, confused as to why she was panicking, "Maybe a crush, that's all."

"Oh, well, I see." Ginny said quickly.

Harry looked at her suspiciously. Then he remembered that she and Neville had spent the entire year teaming up and running Dumbledore's Army together. "Oh, of course!"

Ginny looked panicked at his exclamation, "What, what 'of course'? What are you talking about?"

"You like Neville, don't you?" Harry exclaimed. He was happy to discover that he wasn't even remotely jealous of the assumption, and even more surprised that he actually wanted Neville and Ginny to get together. Ginny was a great girl, and if anybody deserved her, it would be Neville. "That's why you're being so weird about this!"

"I am not being weird!" she scoffed a little too loudly, confirming Harry's suspicions even further.

He ran his hands through his messy hair and cheekily grinned at her, "You know, Ginny, it's either you're incredibly obvious or I just know you quite well."

"Ha ha," Ginny glared, "Way to turn my words against me."

"You still haven't denied it."

"I wasn't intending to," she blushed, "We _are _friends. Friends share. Sharing is caring."

Harry laughed, "For what it's worth, I think you'd be swell together!"

Again, she rolled her eyes, "Whatever, Harry. But yes, I guess after a year of running the DA together, things just sort of ... developed."

"Alright, Ginny," Harry nudged her, "Just tell him and I'm sure he actually reciprocates. Then you'll be happy together forever! And I'll be credited as that one guy who successfully gave you two your happy ending. I expect special recognition at the wedding reception."

She glared at him before hitting his arm, "Okay, smart-mouth. Fine. Now we'll just have to set you up with someone, won't we?"

Harry wasn't phased by her comment and waved her off with his hand, "Please, Ginny, there's nobody here I'd be interested in."

"Cho's available." This time, Harry rolled his eyes and didn't even bother giving her a verbal answer. She smiled, "Good, I don't like her for you anyway."

Harry laughed, "Oh? And who'd fit your criteria, Ms. Matchmaker?"

"Someone greater or at the very least as equally great as me!"

"Ah, of course."

"What about Luna?"

"What _about _Luna?" Harry asked, truthfully nervous at what she's suggesting. "We're just friends."

"So were we," she contended, "Besides, everybody knows there are only three girls your age you're truly friends with. Me, Luna and Hermione. Of course your only choice would be Luna."

"I'm sorry, miss, but I believe in treating women like they're my priority, not my choice." Harry grinned, "It's what gentlemen do."

"Oh, impressive," Ginny nodded, "But you know I'm right."

Harry looked at her oddly, "Are you really suggesting that I ask Luna out?"

"Well, why the bloody hell not?"

"I don't know," Harry said. He really didn't know why not. He liked Luna enough, that's for sure. She'd grown on him over the years. She's smart, brave, kind. Well - "Never mind, I know. I like Luna. But it's just like what you said, Ginny. Liking her isn't enough. Being attracted to her isn't enough - "

"-ooh, so you think she's attractive?" Ginny asked teasingly.

Harry could only glare at her as he continued, "The point is, she's a great girl, but there's something missing. The feelings are missing! I don't feel that way about her at all. The chemistry isn't there. No chemistry, no passion, no romance, no ... well, relationship."

She smiled, "Good answer. Of course, I was only kidding, I just wanted to see what you'd say."

"Evil," he scoffed, "But, I suppose, effective."

"Hm, I bet you wouldn't have reacted the same if I suggested Hermione."

Harry's face grew tense. This sounded a lot like a comment another Weasley had given him just a few days ago, "What do you mean?"

"Relax, Harry, I'm not saying there's anything going on between you two," Ginny said softly, "I just remembered I used to be a bit jealous of her."

"You were? Really? Why?"

"Oh yeah," she nodded, and looked far off into the distance as if recounting an old memory. Harry couldn't help but think that she'd truly aged since the time they spent together last year. She, like him and so many others, looked far more experienced than any teenager should be. "I mean, she's the closest person to you."

"So is Ron," Harry defended, "I mean they _are _my best friends. Everyone knows that."

"Oh of course, my brother," Ginny laughed humorlessly, "The one who idiotically left you two in the middle of nowhere. The one who didn't believe you when you said your name didn't come out of the Goblet."

"The Goblet thing is understandable in hindsight ... I mean not a lot of people believed me."

"Well, yeah," she nodded, "But this year - "

"- he was being affected by Voldemort, you can't really blame him." Harry interrupted. He didn't like the direction that the conversation was going. Ginny didn't know what the locket had done to Ron - to all of them, in fact. "There were emotions and things that ... that couldn't be helped."

"I know that, Harry, that's not what I'm trying to say here," Ginny explained calmly. It was as if she expected Harry to misunderstand whatever her point was. With a deep breath, she continued, "Ron's frustration led him to get angry at you, but that's not what made him _leave_."

Harry looked at her quizzically as his memories of that night Ron left resurfaced. Ron's hurtful words and general impatience etched itself in his memory. _We thought you had a _real _plan! _Harry shuddered. He really didn't like thinking of that particular moment. Honestly, he'd never felt more vulnerable in his life. Ron was among the two people he'd trusted with his entire being and hearing him say those words felt far worse than having Voldemort press his finger on his burning scar. Before he could respond to Ginny, she had grabbed his arm gently.

"Do you know what he said to me when I asked him why he left?" she whispered. Harry shook his head, signalling her to continue. "He said 'she chose him'."

"She chose me because she's one of the most loyal people I know! She promised she'd help and she knew I'd be dead without her to help me out."

"Harry, I know," she sighed, "That's not what I'm saying. I'm saying if Hermione said she'd go with Ron, he would've realized he's being a git and probably would've gotten his head out of his arse and calmed down and apologized right on the spot. He wouldn't have left you all alone."

"That doesn't make sense!" Harry snapped. Was Ron testing Hermione then? Was it just a cruel trick to try and test her loyalty to either of them. "What was he trying to do, have her pick between us once and for all? What, she can't be friends with one and be with the other?"

"No, not intentionally," she insisted desperately, "Ron and I had a long talk about this and ... he just realized that no matter what he does, he'll always come second to you in Hermione's heart. Look, we both know that Hermione cares about the both of you. But think about it this way, Harry. You care about Ron, right?"

"Of course, he's like my brother." Harry said immediately, "But I still don't know where this is going."

She ignored his complaint and continued, "And you care about, oh I don't know, Neville?" Harry nodded. "Okay, well, what if you were down there." She pointed towards the center of the lake, where Harry could see the outlines of the mer-people swimming in the murky waters.

"Yeah?"

"Imagine a Second Task-like scenario," she said, "Except this time Ron and Neville both have to be saved. Who will you save first?"

"I'll get them both at the same time, I did the same three years ago," Harry gave her a small smile, "And I'm a lot stronger now too. Should be a piece of cake."

"No, but what if you can't? What if the mermaids try to stop you again like last time? Remember, they'll both live either way. It's just a matter of your initial reaction. Based on your instinct, who'd you get to the surface first?"

Harry looked at her and suddenly started to see her point, "Ron, of course."

"And that doesn't mean you don't care about Neville's well-being, now does it? It just means you care more about Ron. So instinctually, you'd save him _first. _You'd choose him first. No hesitation."

"Not even a little."

"Exactly," Ginny smiled sadly, "And in this case Hermione is you. Ron is Neville and you're ..."

"Ron," Harry sighed.

"You see, even if there is nothing romantic going on between you two," Ginny said, "She still cares about you more. If she cared more about Ron, she wouldn't even _think_ about not saying yes as soon as he'd asked if she would go with him. But she chose to stay with you, Harry. Hermione may have feelings for Ron, but you always held a bigger part of her heart than Ron ever did."

Harry didn't know what to say to that. This conversation seemed to do that to him more and more frequently as it went on; he was speechless. And not in a good way, or a bad way. Just in a really blank "I don't know what to say" way.

Before long, Ginny got up and smiled down at him with her hand outstretched, "Come on, it's time for lunch."

Ligthtly accepting her hand, Harry pulled himself up. He dusted off his grass-coated jeans and allowed Ginny to lead him towards the castle. As they entered the entrance hall, he stopped and turned to her, "Ginny."

She turned to face him, "What is it?"

"You still haven't answered my question."

"Which one?"

"Why were you jealous of Hermione?"

Ginny smiled at him for a solid minute before giving him a simple answer, "Because I know you'd always get her out of the lake first. No matter who the hostages are."

And with those words, she ruffled his hair and continued on to the Great Hall, leaving Harry standing in the middle of the entrance hall. He started to walk slowly towards the Great Hall, his mind wandering to the most confusing thoughts in the world.

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><p><em>And there you go! I hope you enjoyed it! Thank you so much to those who are still reading and reviewing this! It really means a lot to me every time I get an email about feedback to this story (: Thank you so much! I' think this is the fastest I've ever updated! So keep those reviews coming and I'll try my best to finish the next chapter as quick as I can (: <em>


	5. The Fine Art of Deflection

_Oh my gosh. 75 alerts? There are 75 people out there who actually want to see this story through? And there are 23 people who like this enough to favorite it when it's not even done yet? That makes me so ecstatic I might start crying. I mean, I'm sure a lot of other stories get more, but I don't know, simply knowing that there are actual people out there enjoying this is enough for me :) Again, you're all brilliant brilliant people. And your reviews! Don't even get me started! I love how you guys actually give me feedback because honestly, they really do help me shape the story so that it may be a better read for you all. After all, I'm writing this story for those who read it - so each opinion definitely matters! Even if it's a simple "good work" - that lets me know the chapter is keeping you happy and really, that's all that matters to me! Your reviews really make me want to update like *snaps* that! Except we all know I can't because the chapter would probably be really bad, but I assure you, with each review, I get more done! No joke, there's a definite correlation. Did you not notice that I updated a lot quicker when more people gave feedback? It's like statistical extravaganza! __But I'm not saying I'll update within a matter of days or something (very improbable, but it could happen), but I'll try my best to limit the wait to two weeks and not a whole **month(s)**. I admit this took me forever though, but that's because of finals :( __Anyway, I'm talking too much again, so I'm just going to let you guys read ... sorry, I get excited whenever I do one of these AN's. Hehe._

_**Disclaimer:** I solemnly swear that no copyright infringement is intended. I do not own the magical world of Harry Potter and/or any of the characters mentioned._

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><p><span>Chatper 5: The Fine Art of Deflection<span>

The reconstruction of Hogwarts was well into its third week when Harry received an owl from Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry was having lunch with Neville that day, a routine he'd gotten accustomed to whenever his two usual companions had gone off somewhere.

The two had been doing that a fair amount the past few weeks, Harry noticed. When they'd first randomly disappeared, he had opted to look for them in the Marauder's Map, worried sick. When he'd spotted the two names, however, he realized where they were and how absurdly close the two names were together. It didn't take an epiphany for Harry to figure out what his best friends were probably doing. In all honesty, the idea of them being intimate made Harry feel slightly uncomfortable. Up until now, the dynamic between the three of them had been - for the most part, at least - unchanged for the past seven years. They weren't known as 'The Golden Trio' for nothing. Even when the three had their falling outs, Harry was _always _with one of them. But Harry remembered that Ron and Hermione had both been alone for those arguments in the past. Harry always had one of them by his side - more so Hermione than Ron, obviously. Either way though, his best friends were a couple now. So he thought it only fair that he keep his mouth shut to them about it, no matter how lonely he became whenever they disappeared. He could have told Neville or Ginny about it, of course, but Harry was never one to talk about his feelings. (Well, there's that and his recent conversations with Ginny and Ron.)

Harry was pulled from his thoughts when the owls started delivering the posts.

"Whoa!" Neville jumped as an envelope nearly dropped into his food. "Not the best owl in the business, that one."

Harry chuckled quietly, thinking of how Ron would have probably cursed the owl for almost ruining his meal. And how Hermione would have probably lectured him for cursing afterward.

It wasn't that he didn't enjoy Neville's company. In fact, Harry even chose to stay with him even when Ron and Hermione were around. But it still felt different, somehow. Ron and Hermione were really the two closest people in his heart. In a sense, they'd become his family. Neville wasn't bad company though. He'd emerged from the war a much more confident young wizard, but inside, he was still the same shy boy who lost his toad on his first day at Hogwarts. Also, since Harry's discovery of Ginny's feelings for Neville, it actually became quite entertaining to be around the both of them; Neville's oblivious while Ginny was actually _shy _around him.

"Oh hey, Harry," Neville said as he looked at the envelope, "It's for you."

Harry took the item carefully from Neville's hands and immediately noticed the official Ministry seal on the flap, "Thanks, Neville."

As Harry opened the envelope, he saw that the parchment was a lot less official, "It's from Kingsley," he murmured.

_Harry, _

_My apologies for not sending an owl sooner, but when Minerva sent word that you were experiencing magical exhaustion, I figured I should let you rest peacefully for a bit. I do hope you're feeling a lot better now. I have great news: your proposition has been approved! All 7th year students who fought during the war will be offered an opportunity to start their Auror training if they wish to. There's only one condition, of course. The officials at the Auror Office as well as the Order have decided that all students who wish to go into Auror training will have to go through a screening process to ensure that they have the capabilities to go into training. You, along with the rest of those eligible for this opportunity should be receiving a letter within the next week with all the details. _

_Also, if you remember, Harry, Minerva and I mentioned needing to see you privately. If it's convenient, please go to the Headmistress' office this afternoon at two o'clock. The password is Caithness. I hope you're doing well. _

_Take care, _

_Kingsley Shacklebolt_

When Harry looked up, he saw a glimpse of Neville's retreating and embarrassed eyes. Harry chuckled, "No need to sneak a peek, Neville. I was going to tell you about it anyway."

Neville smiled shyly, "Sorry."

Harry smiled back and handed Neville the letter. He couldn't blame Neville for thinking the way he did. After all, Harry really only confided in Ron and Hermione. But Neville had proved time and time again how trustworthy he was, and with Voldemort gone, there was no need to be completely secretive to everybody. Besides, Harry now considered Neville one of his closest friends.

"Whoa," Neville murmured as he finished reading. He slowly returned the letter to Harry and stared in disbelief, "W-we're really going to be offered to go into Auror training? Without N.E.W.T.'s?"

Harry smiled, "Seems like it. Just have to wait for the letter. You think you're gonna give it a go?"

"Oh. Wow," Neville exhaled and started stammering nervously, "But - I mean, I want to. It's just that I - well, I don't know if I -"

"Neville, relax," Harry interrupted, amused, "You have plenty of time to think about it. And if you're worried that you're not good enough, _don't. _Need I remind you who destroyed one of Voldemort's most vicious horcruxes with the Sword of Gryffindor?"

The round-faced boy gave a weak smile, "You're right. Of course you're right, Harry. Wow. Gran would be really proud."

"Your parents would be proud, Neville." Harry couldn't stop himself from adding, "No, they _are _proud. I'm sure they are."

"Thanks, Harry," Neville replied gratefully, "But, what did Kingsley mean when he said 'your proposition'?"

"Oh," Harry's mouth hung open, "Um, that was nothing, really. Just something we talked about before."

"Oh, okay."

Harry was surprised that Neville didn't even ask about the private meeting. Harry was actually a bit worried at that part. Why did they need to see him privately? He knew it was irrational and absolutely a worst-case scenario, but Harry couldn't help but think that it was something terrible. Death Eaters, dark marks, Elder Wands, more deaths. The possibilities were endless. Harry knew that he was being irrational though, so he tried his best to inwardly chant, "Voldemort's dead." while he continued eating his lunch.

The two friends finished their meals in silence. Since they had already finished their volunteer shifts earlier in the day, the two had nothing to do. Harry had about thirty minutes before he had to head to McGonagall's office, so he whipped out his Marauder's Map, hoping to find Ron and Hermione's names going to the Great Hall to have their lunch so that he may tell them of Kingsley's news.

"No, no," Harry muttered under his breath when he saw that the two names were nowhere to be found on the map. He usually found them in Moaning Myrtle's lavatory, or in the common room when nobody was around. But today, there was no sign of either of their names. Harry's heart started pounding faster as he assumed the worst. Were they captured? Before his mind could reel in anymore negativity, he called for Neville, "Can you help me look for Ron and Hermione's names? I can't find them. I must've missed them."

Neville silently started searching when Harry placed the map between them, "I don't see them either. You don't reckon something happened?"

"No, wait," Harry said, spotting a fading inkblot on the seventh floor corridors, "Look. Room of Requirement." Sure enough, the names Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger appeared in the map, slowly making their way to the Grand Staircase. Harry gave an internal sigh of relief.

"I thought you guys said the Room of Requirement was destroyed by Fiendfyre?"

"No, that was just the Room of Hidden Things."

"Oh, I see," Neville nodded, then chuckled cheekily, "Blimey, Ron and Hermione must've been there a while, huh?"

Harry recoiled at the obvious implications of Neville's comment. The relief he felt a moment ago was soon replaced by a boiling anger, and before he could stop himself, he bitterly snapped, "Yeah, and here we are thinking they've been attacked by Death Eaters."

Neville's smile immediately disappeared. Harry felt almost guilty - it wasn't often that Neville joked around. Honestly, though, Harry couldn't really help himself. But he knew he was being quite irrational. Who was he to them, anyway? They didn't have to report there whereabouts to him all of the time. He was just their friend.

"Harry?" Neville's voice snapped Harry out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" Harry asked. He was happy to hear that his voice had calmed.

Neville looked nervously at the ground before slowly asking, "D-do you ... do you not like Ron and Hermione being, you know, together?"

Harry's first instinct was to laugh, because the question was just plain absurd. Somehow though, he couldn't find his laughter. And the words he was about to say Neville weren't expected either, "Not really."

_Where in the world did that come from? _

"Why?"

"I don't know," Harry sighed honestly. That part he did know for sure. "I mean, I'm happy they're happy. It's just that ... I don't know, the idea of them makes me a little lonely, I suppose?"

Neville only nodded sympathetically and smiled slightly, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Uh, alright." Harry said. He was surprised by the quick change in tone, but he was curious as to what Neville had to tell him.

"I don't think they'll last too long. So you don't have to worry."

Harry opened his mouth to contradict, but he found that he didn't really know what to say. He didn't _want _Ron and Hermione to break up if they were happy. They are his best friends, after all, and their happiness meant the world to him. _They _meant the world to him. But somehow, Neville's comment put him at ease. So, he didn't disagree even if his mind screamed at him to do the exact opposite.

"Hey, I think they're coming here." Neville pointed at the Maruader's Map and sure enough, the two familiar names descended the stairs and started approaching the Great Hall. "Oh, and it's 1:47 now, Harry. You better get going."

Harry nodded as he muttered, "Mischief managed."

"I'll see you later, mate."

"See you, Neville." Harry said, "And uh, thanks for ... well, for sharing. Not that I agree, or disagree, it's just that I - well, thanks." And with that he hurriedly rushed to leave the Great Hall. He was determined to leave before Ron and Hermione arrived. Somehow, seeing them after his reaction to Neville's words made him feel guilty. And again, he didn't really know why. It was honestly getting frustrating.

"Harry!" Neville's voice called out. Harry turned around, exasperated. He really didn't want to bump into his two best friends at the moment.

"Yes, Neville?"

His friend held up the letter, "You forgot this."

"Right," Harry said and hurriedly returned for the letter.

"No problem, " Neville smiled and quickly said, "Your parents would be proud of you too, Harry."

Harry's exasperation immediately disappeared and he felt a rush of gratitude towards Neville. Although he and Neville were never the best of friends, he still valued him. After all, Neville understood his longing for his parents more than anybody he's ever met, "Thanks, Neville."

And with that, Harry practically ran out of the Great Hall. He caught a glimpse of red and brown hair as he rushed out of the double doors. Harry had never before practiced the art of deflection this successfully. He would be proud had the targets of his deflection been someone else besides his two best friends. So as he ran up the stairs to the Headmistress's office, Harry could only try his best to ignore the soft, feminine voice that called out his name with a mixture of confusion and hurt in a resounding echo.

... ... ...

"Ah, there you are, Potter." Professor McGonagall opened the door to let her former student in. Harry couldn't help but notice that she looked a lot healthier these past few weeks. In fact, her appearance seemed to have a sort of parallel with Hogwarts. When it was in shambles, Harry had never seen his former teacher look older. But now that it was well on its way to its former magnificence, she looked as though she aged backwards overnight.

Harry stepped in the familiar office, still slightly out of breath from his rush. "How are you, Professor?"

"I should be asking you that question, Potter," McGonagall replied sternly, sitting behind her desk, "I trust you've faithfully reported any problems with your health?"

He nodded with a smile, "Of course, Professor."

The aging witch smiled in return, "Good. I didn't expect any less, of course, with Ms. Granger by your side."

Harry's smile faltered slightly at the mention of Hermione. He couldn't believe he'd avoided his best friends. Actually, he still didn't understand his actions. He just knew he was in no mood to face them just yet. ould

"I trust you've made your finalized decision about continuing your studies then?" she asked, a little sadly.

Harry couldn't help but feel guilty as he nodded, "I would really love to go into training, Professor."

"Oh, of course you would," McGonagall sighed with a smile in her face, "You'd be a great one at that. Please, don't feel guilty on my account, Mr. Potter. While I am sad to see you won't be finishing your studies, I am very happy for you."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry smiled, "Hogwarts is my home. I'll really miss it here."

"And you'll always be welcome, Potter. Anything you need at all, you just ask."

Harry smiled, briefly letting his glance fall to the portraits of Snape and Dumbledore behind McGonagall's desk. "I will."

"Kingsley should be here any minute."

Harry nodded,"But Professor, I was just wondering what this meeting would be about? I mean, did something happen?"

"Oh, no, nothing like that," she replied, waving off his worries, "It's actually about your godson."

"What?" Harry shot up his seat, "Teddy? Why, what's happened to him?"

McGonagall quickly raised up her hand, "Harry, I told you. It's nothing like that."

"Then what - "

Before Harry could finish his sentence, there were three knocks on the door. "Oh, here's Kingsley now. Just wait, Harry, everything will be clear in a minute."

Kingsley Shacklebolt was in a similar state as Professor McGonagall, in Harry's opinion. They both looked a lot less haggard than they did during the war. This didn't really come as a surprise to Harry though. Most people looked a lot better now than they did during the war. The Auror shook Harry's hand as he sat next to him, "Harry, how are you feeling?"

"I'm good, Kingsley, really," Harry smiled, "Just a little bruised is all. Nothing surprising."

"That's great," the older man replied, "We wouldn't want you to be in terrible shape for training, now would we? Assuming, of course, you plan on taking the offer. I've been looking forward to the day I get to train you."

"You already know, sir," Harry chuckled, saluting his future trainer, "I can't wait."

Kingsley laughed as well, clapping Harry's shoulder before turning to McGonagall, "Right. Shall we start then?"

McGonagall nodded, as professional as ever, "Alright, Mr. Potter, let's talk about your godson."

... ... ...

Harry entered the common room in a semi-catatonic-semi-elated state. His meeting with McGonagall and Kingsley was nothing like he initially worried about. With the majority of his life being plagued with danger, Harry couldn't help but worry that whenever any authority figure needed to talk to him privately, it meant something bad. But not this meeting. This meeting was shocking, amazing, wonderful and well, it just made Harry completely _happy._

He plopped down on one of the armchairs by the fireplace with a smile plastered on his face. He didn't even notice his surroundings, he was just stuck in his own world - his own imagination of his bright-looking future. Harry's mind reverted back to his real-but-only-in-his-head encounter with Dumbledore at King's Cross. He could almost hear his former Headmaster's voice happily telling him, _This is just additional proof, Harry, that you made the right choice in returning._

_That I did, Professor. _Harry thought, his smile growing.

"Harry?"

The same voice that echoed through the corridors earlier brought Harry out of his reverie. Harry swallowed as he looked up at the source and the person next to her.

"Hey, guys," Harry said nonchalantly at his two best friends. Though his smile lessened a bit, he still couldn't keep the happiness out of his voice. Whatever confusion he felt that morning was temporarily forgotten, "What's up?"

"We could ask you the same question," Ron said tentatively, "Where were you off to earlier? You rushed out of the Great Hall so fast you didn't even see us!"

"Oh! Sorry about that, mate," he replied, "I had a meeting with Professor McGonagall and Kingsley. Had to run."

"Yeah, Neville told us all about that and the Auror training stuff, but we just don't know about the meeting!" Ron sat down across from Harry, "Go on then! What was it about?"

Harry was grateful that Ron didn't seem to suspect a thing about his previous odd behavior. Hermione, however, was a different story. She stayed standing up in the same position, looking at Harry silently. He decided to ignore it for now. He wanted to share the news to them, after all, "Well, it's about Teddy."

Hermione's eyes went wide at his words, her previously silent stance forgotten. Harry recognized at it as Hermione's 'epiphany face'. That was the face she made whenever something just clicked in her head, "Oh my gosh. You're his godfather. You're going to take care of him?"

"Bloody hell," Ron murmured in awe, "No wonder you look so sodding happy, mate!"

"Wait, wait," Harry held up his hands at his best friends. He was expecting this response, "You're half right."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll be taking care of Teddy, but not right now," Harry smiled, "I'm still seventeen, after all. I don't have a job yet; I'm in no state to be caring for a child."

"Oh," Ron frowned, "Then why were you so happy? I thought - I mean, I always thought you'd want to - "

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Harry interrupted, "I would _love _to take care of Teddy. He's family. But see, Tonk's mum offered to take care of Teddy for a few years. She's not that old, and .. well, after what happened to her husband and daughter and all - she wouldn't really mind the company. Teddy would be living with her until I finish training. And once I'm done, he can live with me, and she'll still help out and things ... It's what Tonks and Lupin wanted too. Kingsley and McGonagall were witnesses to their wills. That's what the private meeting was all about."

"Wow, mate," Ron smiled, "You're going to be like a young dad, then. Or an uncle, at least."

Harry nodded, "Yeah, Teddy and I ... well, we'll be a proper family, won't we?"

Hermione smiled at him, "That's great, Harry." For a second, Harry saw her hesitate. She looked as though she was about to hug him, but stopped herself. Harry didn't have to guess why. But again, he brushed it off for now. He was happy. And no matter what these confusing feelings regarding his best friends' relationship status was - well, it could wait.

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><p><em>Well, was that bad or was that terrible? Please tell me in a review! (: It'd mean the world to me. And since I still have about two weeks left of Christmas vacation before school starts up again, I'll try my best to get a lot of writing in! Meanwhile, you can check out my youtube channel for some HHr video-goodness: youtube . comuser/blueenigma4_

_ I'm no professional editor or anything, but I do make decent HHr videos for fun (: Well, I think they're decent. If you don't like those though, it's okay. Reading my story is enough, really. And I really dearly appreciate those who continue to follow this. _

_Until next time then, readers! (: Please review! _


	6. Not Quite Like Old Times

_Heh ...Hi guys! You all probably hate me because I haven't updated in more than a year. I'm sorry! I know there are no excuses that will make you feel better about me abandoning this story, so I won't even give them. I was temporarily unable to continue this, but I'm back now! This story is my baby and I swear, I came back to it as soon as I was able. I will admit though that it took me **forever **to finish this chapter. I got back into writing this story about three months ago, but after being separated from it for so long, it took a while to get back into it. And for that, I truly apologize. I promise you that this story will not be abandoned, but I can't promise that I'll be making swift updates. So ... yeah. Hope y'all are still out there! _

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><p><span>Chapter 6: Not Quite Like Old Times<span>

"Nice!"

Harry beamed at Ron, who zoomed around the goals with pride, "Yeah!"

He loved seeing his ginger best friend boost with confidence. Ron had spent too much time in the shadows of his brothers and even Harry himself. "Well done, mate."

"Thanks, Harry," Ron replied breathlessly, "Bloody hell, I didn't think I was -oof!"

As skilled as ever, George struck a bludger in his little brother's direction. "Oy! Are we going to play or are we going to dilly dally?"

Ron threw some colorful words while he flew after George. Unfortunately for him, Mrs. Weasley appeared just in time to witness her youngest son being just as crass as ever.

"RONALD WEASLEY!" As soon as Ron heard his mother's familiar ear-piercing shriek, he flew as far away from the ground as his old broom could take, "If I _EVER _hear you say such vulgarities again, I _swear to - _"

"_Alright! _Molly, darling, calm down," Mr. Weasley hushed as he quickly told the boys and Ginny to come down for lunch, "Lunchtime everyone!"

George and Ron quickly obeyed their parents, practically zooming down to the Burrow's soil before further angering their mother. Ginny, however, was not as afraid. She touched down next to Harry, "Well that was an interesting game."

"Oh well, any event with your family is sure to be filled with entertainment," Harry chuckled, carefully placing his beloved firebolt over his shoulder. "I don't think I've every spent a day here when your mum didn't yell at one of you."

"We're so dysfunctional, it's healthy." _  
><em>

"Yeah, that ... doesn't make sense."

"Shut up!"

Harry laughed as his ex-girlfriend shoved him towards some bushes. Truthfully, if their relationship weren't so well known, people around them might have thought they've always been the best of friends. He had to admit, he rather liked Ginny a lot more when all the romance disappeared.

The pair followed the rest into the Burrow and joined everyone at the table as they ravished their sandwiches. Harry looked around at everyone and was delighted to see that almost everything had gone back to normal. Ron belched unceremoniously while Mrs. Weasley swatted him on the arm. Ginny rolled her eyes as her father babbled about muggle contraptions, and even George looked fairly content. Although, Harry and everyone else noticed that George was never really the same after he lost Fred; his smile wasn't as infectious, his jokes weren't as hilarious. This made the raven-haired boy uneasy. George wasn't a stranger to loss, but losing someone as close as his twin brother - not even Harry knew what that felt like. Luckily, George, like his late twin, had always been one to look at the positive side of things. So naturally, he never stayed sad for too long. And for this, Harry admired him greatly.

"Harry, you've got something -"

Harry looked up from his food to find Ginny motioning towards his mouth. He was about to wipe it when her hand flew to his face, "Here I got it."

"Thanks," Harry smiled. He returned to his food but noticed that a pair of brown eyes were watching him, "Hermione?"

"Huh?"

"You're staring."

Hermione blushed and looked down at her food, "I just - I got lost in thought, that's all."

Harry looked at her suspiciously and was about to inquire more about it when he stopped himself. They were at the Weasley table and he was sure that whatever was wrong, Hermione would never divulge it for the entire family to hear. Harry did make a note to himself that Hermione had been unusually quiet since the beginning of their stay at the Burrow. And while he would normally try to get to the bottom of her worries, he thought that the job would primarily be Ron's now. He was Hermione's boyfriend, after all, and had Harry tried to console her, he was sure Ron would get the idea that he and his female best friend were hiding something from him.

To his credit, Ron hadn't shown a single sign of jealousy towards Harry and Hermione's closeness, particularly when it came to Harry's health and Hermione's subsequent fussing over him. However, ever since his conversation with Ron at the hospital wing, he tried his best to not feed into Ron's thoughts any longer.

But just because he stayed quiet, it didn't mean that Hermione's silence didn't bother him. He briefly wondered if it had anything to do with her parents.

It took only six weeks to get Hogwarts back into an acceptable state, and soon after, the school no longer required the labor. Professor McGonagall had thanked everyone for their help and had sent the students who have stayed behind home to their families. Harry, naturally, was invited over to the Weasleys. He was also invited to stay with Teddy and his grandmother. Harry declined as he didn't want to be an additional burden to the kind old lady, but promised to visit his godson often. But while Harry has multiple invites to homes, Hermione still didn't have one.

Sometime during the first month after the war, Harry had realized that Hermione hadn't brought up her parents and later asked her about them. An emotional Hermione left the room in tears, leaving Harry dumbfounded. Ron later explained to Harry that Hermione had been trying to go to Australia to retrieve her parents and restore their memories. However, when she tried to apparate, she ended up in the Ministry of Magic and was informed that the wizarding community in Australia had temporarily placed a magical hold over the nation to protect their citizens from the war, officially establishing a neutral ground. Her parents were still somewhere in Australia, believing themselves to be Wendell and Monica Wilkins and not knowing of their daughter's existence.

Apparently, Hermione had been aware of this during the war, which is why she sent her parents to the protected country in the first place. What she didn't know, however, was that even after the war, it would be at least two months before she could reunite with her parents due to the bureaucracy required to remove the neutrality spell. This made it impossible for any civilian to enter the country magically. Hermione could have gone to the country "the muggle way", as Ron called it, but she still would have been unable to do the spell to restore her parents' memories, leaving the young witch devastated.

Harry had been indignant and asked Ron why Hermione never told him.

"She just didn't want to worry you with your health and all," Ron shrugged, "You know how she is."

Harry felt guilty for not noticing earlier and berated himself for bringing it up to her in such an insensitive manner. Nothing made Harry more uncomfortable than seeing a girl cry, particularly when that girl was Hermione. No matter how much she cried over the years, Harry never got used to it. He felt even worse that she wasn't able to confide in him because of his so-called "health problems". Harry hadn't even been having any of his weird night terrors, but Hermione still worried for him. It annoyed him and endeared him all at the same time. But before Harry could think further into Hermione's worries, Mr. Weasley addressed him.

"So Harry, you're starting your auror training soon," he smiled, like a proud father would to his son, "Are you excited?"

Harry welcomed the distraction and smiled gratefully, "Yes, sir. Kingsley's been telling me and Neville all about what it's going to be like."

"You know, I still can't quite believe that the little Neville's going to be joining you in training, Harry," Mrs. Weasley chimed in,"The poor dear's almost afraid of his own shadow, for Merlin's sake!"

Harry resisted the urge to quickly retort in order to avoid being disrespectful. He hated it when people doubted Neville Longbottom. In fact, Harry found it downright insulting to one of his bravest friends. Even after he had led Dumbledore's Army while suffering from Death Eaters at Hogwarts for months, people still only remembered the pudgy faced, buck-toothed young boy who trembled every time someone spoke to him. Neville had even killed Nagini, proving to be quite helpful to Harry when he finally defeated the Dark Lord. And on top of all that, Neville had actually grown into a manlier looking young lad than Harry or Ron - he was taller than almost everyone in their year - and the year he spent being tormented by death eaters had proved to be instrumental in shaping him up for battle.

"Mum, Neville destroyed a horcrux, remember?" Ron, seemingly thinking along the same lines as Harry, offhandedly brushed off his mother's worries, "I think he can handle a little training."

"Well, I suppose that's true," she nodded, "But I still worry!"

George chuckled lightly and muttered, "Mothers."

... ... ...

Harry jolted awake at the sound of the door opening, "_Expelliarmus!_"

A soft gasp echoed throughout the room and soon, a 10 and 3/4 inch vine wood wand was in his left hand, "Harry, it's just me."

Beads of sweat formed on Harry's forehead as he wordlessly illuminated Ron's orange room, "Hermione?"

"You're getting better," she smiled as she walked towards his bed.

Harry shrugged, "Nonverbal spells aren't really a big deal when it's just for disarming."

"Just as humble as ever," Hermione chuckled as she sat down on his bed, "Can I have my wand back though?"

"Right," Harry handed her back her wand and smiled sheepishly as he sat up, "Sorry about that. It's a - "

"-habit, I know," she replied, "I understand, sorry for waking you up."

Harry shrugged again, an action he found himself doing a lot around Hermione lately. He cleared his throat and motioned towards Ron's bed, "Er, he's not here. George had an idea about a new contraption or whatever ... they went to the joke shop to work on it so they can have a prototype by tomorrow for people to test out."

"I know," she nodded, "Ronald. He, er, came by to tell me before he left."

"Right," Harry said as he looked at her, noticing the tinge of pink that started to form around her cheeks. He supposed she was embarrassed to admit openly that she and Ron were at the stage where they were comfortably going into each others' rooms in the middle of the night. He cleared his throat again, "So why are you here?"

Hermione looked at him with a puzzled and slightly hurt expression. Harry then realized that he might have sounded a bit too cold. He didn't want Ron thinking he had feelings for her, but he didn't want Hermione to be hurt by him either. So, he quickly retracted, "Not that I don't want you here, I'm just ... I mean since Ron's not here."

"Are you mad at me, Harry?" Hermione asked. Harry wasn't completely surprised by the question, but he tried his best to act like he did anyway.

"What?" he asked, "Me? Mad at you? Why on earth would you think that, Hermione?"

Hermione looked down at her wand and started picking at it, looking more and more like she did when Harry had first become friends with her. It was almost as if she was afraid of Professor McGonagall taking away points from Gryffindor.

"It's just that I - well, I - I noticed that you've sort of ... been avoiding me," she finally whispered after what seemed like an entire minute.

Harry stared at her dumbly. He was embarrassed. Embarrassed because he had, to a certain extent, been avoiding her. And up until this point, he was daft enough to believe that she didn't notice. Of course she'd noticed, she's Hermione. It was his turn to stay quiet for a minute before stupidly saying, "Oh."

"So you really are?" Hermione squeaked, "Harry what - well why? Have I done something?"

He sighed and swiveled his legs off the bed. He looked at his best friend's eyes, and upon seeing the tears that threatened to fall, almost felt tempted to lie to her. But he knew that would be pointless. Hermione almost always knew when he was lying, especially in an atmosphere such as this. "I'm sorry."

The hidden tears were no longer hidden the moment the words escaped his lips. Hermione gasped and breathed quietly, letting her tears stain her cheeks as she quickly wiped them away. Harry mentally kicked himself as he decided to temporarily break his promise to avoid any reason that might let Ron think he had feelings for Hermione - he held her hand.

Hermione's quiet sobs soon came to a halt and she looked up at him with a sad smile.

Harry hated himself, but braved to give Hermione something to ease her mind, "You have to know that, this isn't because I'm mad at you. I just didn't want to make trouble for - well, I just didn't want to get in the way."

She looked at him questioningly, "What do you -"

"Hermione," Harry interrupted, "It's just ... you didn't do anything wrong, you know."

It was clear by the look on Hermione's face that she knew he wasn't going to elaborate on his reasoning. So instead, she just nodded.

"I know," she said quietly, "It still sucks though."

Harry replied with an equally quiet smile, "I know."

After what seemed like forever, she stopped crying and squeezed his hand, "You're still my best friend, Harry."

He grinned at her and did something he'd never done before, and kissed her on the cheek, "I know that too."

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><p><em>So it's a little short, I know. But I felt it was a good place to end the chapter. I'm really sorry for taking over a year to update and I hope that one day you can forgive me (especially those who have really been supportive of this story from the beginning) You guys are amazing and I love you as much as Harry loves Hermione. Okay maybe not that much ..but I do love you. <em>

_P.S. Who recognized that last sentence?! I thought it'd be fun to reference one of my favorite Harry/Hermione moments in the books and have Harry reciprocate that beautiful gesture from long ago (: I'm a cheeseball, I know. Did you guys like it? _


	7. The Saddest, Angriest, Guiltiest of All

_Hello! So I'm back. And it hasn't even been a year yet! Thank you so much to all of you who reviewed and stuck by this story! I really wasn't even expecting people to read this since I've left it abandoned for so long. Really, guys, thank you so so so much! You have no idea how inspired you guys made me with your reviews. I read them all and smile like an idiot at how nice you're all being! Anyway, as one reviewer **(Lust of Alucard)** requested, this chapter's going to mostly focus on George and how he's dealing with Fred's loss. Happy reading!_

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><p><span>Chapter 7: The Saddest, Angriest, Guiltiest of them All<span>

As the sun began to rise and engulf Ron's bedroom, Harry cursed under his breath. He had barely gotten some sleep when his eyes were assaulted by the blinding sunshine. Soon, the sound of Mrs. Weasley shuffling down to the kitchen caught his ears. The young war hero sat up and looked out the now bright window with extremely tired eyes.

It has only been an hour since he got back into his bed, having returned from Hermione's bedroom. After their very brief conversation, Harry and Hermione spent a fair hour just sitting on his bed quietly. After a while, Harry had noticed that she had fallen asleep and, after debating with himself to simply sleep somewhere else or to bring her back to where she usually slept, Harry decided to carry her back into Ginny's bedroom. He decided that he didn't want to have to explain to anyone why Hermione had woken up on his bed, while he slept in the living room.

So here he was, desperately clinging onto the troubling conversation he had with Hermione last night. Harry truly didn't know what was going on with his head ... or particularly, his feelings. Ever since the war had ended, things started changing in him. For the first time in his life, Harry felt like he could breathe. Like he had all the time in the world to decide where his life was going to go. And even more, he actually could decide what he was going to do for the rest of his life. He didn't have to be seeking out the darkest wizard of all time anymore. He didn't have to worry about whether he was going to live through the day or not. There was no pressure on him about what he was going to do next. And yet, he never felt this kind of worry. He had battled and survived, but he couldn't even sort out his feelings.

Eventually, Harry decided that attempting to sleep at this hour with the endless thoughts in his head would be moot. Sighing, he made his way down to the kitchen to assist Mrs. Weasley in any way that he can. During his slow trek down the staircase, he heard Ron and George come in and greet their mother in a hushed, but slightly excited voice.

_"Morning Mum!"_ Harry heard the two greet.

"_What on _Earth _are you two doing out?" _

_"George had an idea and - "_

_"We were working on it at the joke shop and -"_

_"Did you stay up ALL NIGHT?" _

_"Well yeah, but Mum-" _

_"Oh for goodness sake -"_

Harry descended the final steps, knowing that his presence would at the very least stop Mrs. Weasley from yelling. It worked.

"Harry dear!" Mrs. Weasley beamed, "You're up early. Are you hungry? I'm afraid I haven't got much done yet, but I could -"

"No, Mrs. Weasley, please," Harry brushed off with a smile, "I actually just wanted to see if I could help at all."

"Oh, nonsense," she waved as she continued her bustle around the kitchen, "I'm almost done. You should just sit tight, and breakfast should be ready soon."

The brothers smiled at Harry gratefully as George quietly went up to his room, not bothering to say anything to further anger his mother. Ron followed suit and beckoned Harry to go with him. Since Mrs. Weasley was clearly not going to accept his help, Harry went back upstairs with his best friend.

"Oh I've missed you," Ron groaned as he stretched himself out on the bed, giving it a hug as if it were his long lost love, "I love you, bed."

"Shall I give you a moment?" Harry smirked sarcastically.

Ron grunted, "Shut up, Harry. I'm exhausted. Why are you awake so early anyway?"

"Dunno," Harry shrugged, not wanting to tell Ron the truth but not wanting to lie either, "So how was the joke shop? George seemed really excited about the idea before you two left."

"Oh he was alright," Ron sat up on his bed with a worried look on his face. He quickly whipped out his wand and pointed towards his closed door, "_Muffliato." _

Harry looked at him questioningly, genuinely curious as to why he was being so secretive, "What?"

Ron crossed the room and sighed. In a hushed tone, he said, "I'm worried about George."

"Why?"

"His idea for a new product, Harry," Ron began, "He called it _The Resurrection Sweet._"

Harry's brows arched, "What? Is it a sweet that looks like the Stone?"

"I wish," Ron shook his head, "Anything would be better than what it _actually _is."

Harry just looked at him and urged him to continue. With a sigh, Ron quickly said, "It's a sweet that will make you seem dead and then bring you back to life."

Harry's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, "WHAT?!"

"Shh!" Ron hushed, "George doesn't want me to tell anyone."

"That's, er, well, that's not good."

"It's bloody disturbing!" Ron yelped in a hushed tone, "But what can I do? He's grieving. I mean, the whole family's still mourning Fred, but George is a whole different story."

Harry nodded as he looked at Ron sympathetically, who looked utterly defeated about this information. He couldn't blame George, however, despite the morbidity of his thoughts. He had lost his twin. And while Harry didn't even know what it was like to have a sibling, he still felt a pang of unwavering pain whenever he thought of happy-go-lucky pranskter Fred. Asides from George, the whole family were all still deeply affected by his death, especially Mrs. Weasley. Harry had seen her crying by herself in the kitchen once as she prepared lunch, and it was unlike any other time she had ever cried. Normally, Mrs. Weasley sobbed, but when he saw her that day carelessly moving her wand to slice up vegetables while she stared at a smiling portrait of the twins, she simply wept. Mr. Weasley simply kept quiet whenever Fred was brought up, while the rest of the siblings tried their best to distract from the subject of their loss by trying to bring up fun and happy memories of him instead. They knew that Fred would want to be remembered and celebrated for his life, not his death.

"You should tell your parents."

Ron immediately shook his head, "Oh no. No, that's the last thing I want to do."

"Ron-"

"No, Harry," he interrupted, "George is at a terrible enough state as it is. I don't want to make it worse. We all may have lost a brother, but George? He lost his _twin. _That's like losing half of him."

"Exactly. And how would telling your parents all this make it worse?" Harry asked, "I mean, I can't tell you it would make it better exactly, but it can't hurt. They lost their son, Ron. They don't want to lose George too."

Ron sighed and scratched his head. He mumbled, indicating that he agreed with Harry, though he obviously didn't like it. Even after all their history, Harry still knew how profoundly loyal Ron is. He felt like he would be betraying George by going to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, but they both knew deep down that it was the right thing to do.

Although immensely tired, Harry stayed alert the whole day. After his conversation with Ron, they both agreed to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Weasley about George's situation together. Ron couldn't face them on their own knowing that he would be - in some form or another - betraying his brother's trust. Though Harry disagreed with Ron's thoughts, he promised anyway. Because of this, Ron was distracted all throughout the day, something that Harry was both grateful for and envious of.

When Hermione woke up around noon, everyone could tell that she had red eyes. She reasoned that it was because she didn't get a good night's rest, but Harry obviously knew better. Hermione had spent the better part of the night crying in his arms. And although it meant nothing, Harry didn't mention this to anyone. He had tried his best to ignore her glances at him throughout the day, however difficult. Harry knew that it wasn't fair to lie to Hermione for his own self-preservation, but he truly wanted her and Ron to be happy together despite his unexplained discomfort towards the subject. So, he tried his best to focus on George. They had to help George.

After the family had finished having dinner and everyone went off on their own, Ron sat his parents down. Harry merely stayed and let Ron do all the talking, offering his presence as moral support for his best friend. When Ron finished, Mrs. Weasley was predictably shocked.

"Arthur, dear," she said with a tremor, "We can't let him do this. We have to put a stop to -"

"Molly," her husband interrupted calmly, "I know, but we're not going to 'put a stop' to anything. George is a grown man, and we can't tell him what to do."

"But Arthur!"

"I know his behaviour isn't exactly healthy, dear. But you know George! He won't listen to us and if we tried to make him, it'll only drive him away. He's grieving right now and his parents nagging him won't help. He has to come to this realization on his own. He has to learn how to deal with his loss."

"How?!" Mrs. Weasley exploded. Tears were evident in her eyes and for what seemed like the millionth time, Harry saw the raw grief in her eyes, "How is he supposed to do that? George has never lost anyone so close to him before! And then just like that, he's lost Fred!"

She cried and trembled as Mr. Wesley sighed and embraced her. Ron looked down at his feet, feeling uncomfortable at the sight of his parents looking so defeated. He looked at Harry sadly and mouthed, "We should go."

Harry nodded as he and Ron started heading up the stairs to his room.

_"I don't want to lose him too, Arthur." _

Harry stopped dead in his tracks. Ron looked at him questioningly as he marched back down the stairs and into the kitchen.

"I can talk to George," Harry said as he looked at the parents, "If you want me to, I can try to."

Mr. and Mrs. Weasley only looked at Harry.

"I, er, I can't promise that it will help any," he continued, "But I can try. I mean, I know loss. I've experienced loss my whole life. So maybe, hopefully, he'll at least talk to me."

After his speech, Mrs. Weasley simply walked towards Harry, hugged him tightly and kissed his forehead. Mr. Wesley just smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Harry."

And as he smiled back, Harry swore he saw Ron quickly wiping his eyes as he turned away.

... ... ...

"George?"

The red-headed twin turned around and smiled as he threw a stone in the distance, "Oh, hey mate. What brings your green eyes out here so late?"

"Can we talk?"

"We already are, aren't we?"

Harry quietly stood next to him as he basked in the clear night sky.

"From that depressing look on your face, I take it Ron told you about the new product I'm working on for the joke shop," George smirked.

"Er, yeah," he replied lamely, not expecting George to know, "I know he promised to keep it to himself, George, but - "

"Alright don't get your wand in a knot, Harry," he replied, throwing another stone further into the distance, "I don't hold it against my dear baby brother. I could tell Ronnykins didn't like the idea from the moment I mentioned it and frankly, I didn't expect him to keep it a secret either."

"Oh."

George sighed as he sat down on the grass. Harry never really spent too much time with George alone since the war ended. And now, looking at him closely, Harry noticed how thin he's gotten. He joined him and sat down on the damp grass as he worriedly observed him. His face was hollow and his eyes lost the cheerful spark they used to always possess.

After a few minutes of silence, George spoke.

"Before we went to Hogwarts, Fred and I would sneak out for an hour or two in the middle of the night and throw stones out here," he said, holding out a small stone to Harry.

Harry smiled, happy that George was at least opening up, "That seems pretty mundane for a two-hour adventure."

"Well, we were nine," he laughed, "What'd you expect?"

He threw another stone in the distance as his laughter died down. Harry suddenly noticed the serious look on his face, "You alright?"

George shrugged, "When we were nine, we obviously didn't have our wands yet. Now, Bill and Charlie and Percy were always showing off in their letters and taking the mickey out of us younger ones. They kept making us jealous, see. Ginny was too young to care, and Ron sort of just pouted about."

Harry smiled at this, imagining his best friend as a pouty seven-year-old, "I can see that."

"Yeah, but Fred and I were coming to that point of having more and more uncontrollable magic," George continued, "And one of the perks of having a twin is having a brother who's your best friend. We were equals in our abilities, with magic and all that."

"So we helped each other try to control our magic, in terms of our emotions."

Confused, Harry asked, "Wait, you lost me."

"Before you found out you're a wizard, you had incidents right? Like when you're angry or -"

"Yeah, I know," Harry nodded, "Accidental magic. But I didn't know you could control it. I thought that once you could, you'd need a wand to do any sort of spell."

"Who says we did spells?" George smirked, "Fred and I just sort of, assigned specific accidental magic to specific emotions. Like, say, if you were angry at your pig of an uncle, you'd control your magic to 'accidentally' break a vase. And if you were happy, you'd grow a flower or something."

Harry rolled his eyes at the last comment, but was intrigued, "You and Fred did that kind of stuff when you were _nine_?"

"It wasn't a perfect system, we really only managed to control one thing and one emotion," George smiled and picked up another one of the stones, "When I said we 'threw stones', I didn't really mean physically throwing them."

"You see, whenever we came out here at night while Mum and Dad slept clueless, we felt giddy as can be for being little rebels. So with all our excitement and our concentration, we managed to make these stones fly off into the distance," he raised one and threw it into the night, "And sometimes, when we're happy enough, they came back."

With this, Harry felt a connection with George. A connection that he didn't even have with Ron or Hermione or anyone else. George's loss was equivalent to all the losses Harry had suffered in his life. While he was robbed of his chance on getting to know his parents and his premature separation from Sirius and Dumbledore, George had spent his whole life sharing his hopes and dreams with Fred. Fred, whom he'd never even imagined losing. Fred and George were a part of each other. To either one of them, losing the other would be worse than losing a limb - it'd be like losing a heart.

"Since he died, I haven't been able to get them to fly off, much less have them come back." George spat as he threw another stone into the distance, "No matter how hard I try, I just can't."

"Sometimes, I just wonder why it had to be him. I mean, I'd rather it was me, Harry."

"I know that feeling," Harry replied, "Guilt. Grief. I know it. But it's done. And if it had been you, then Fred would be saying the same thing right now. He'd be hurting as much as you are _right now_. So you can't think like that, George. As hard as it is, you have to try to think that Fred's at peace."

"I've been trying really hard not to think like this. I know he wouldn't want me to. When I feel myself welling up into a blubbering mess, I just shut it down. I think of anything else but him. I don't want to be weak, I- I _need _to be strong."

"The sweet," he said quietly, "The product that I'm making, it's-it's not because I'm going mental over losing Fred, Harry. It's just me trying to be okay with it." When Harry said nothing, George continued, "I'm not hoping that he'll come back one day. I know that's not possible. And even if it is, I know he wouldn't have wanted that. I'm just ... I guess I'm just trying to find a way to be able to survive. And if I joke about death, then it won't be so bad, will it? Fred and I always did that. When the war was just starting, we made jokes about it and it helped. I'm just trying to be happy ... or at least pretend to be. Because if I pretend to be happy enough, I might actually be happy again one day."

"I don't know how you do it, Harry!" he yelled, "I mean, really! You've lost your parents. Sirius. Remus. You grew up in a terrible home! You watched Cedric die, you watched Dumbledore die! How the bloody hell are you okay with it all?"

"I only really lost one person, and yet here I am ... making joke sweets out of death. I just don't understand how you're okay."

George gave another sigh, and as Harry sadly looked at him, he could tell that the grief-stricken twin were holding back tears. Harry briefly put his hand on the older boy's shoulder, "I'm not. And you don't have to be okay either. You can grieve, George. And it's alright to let it out."

He shook his head as he struggled to fight his tears. His next words were quiet, "If I do, I don't know if I can ever stop."

"Eventually you can," Harry said, "It'll never stop hurting. And you'll never stop missing him, but, eventually, it'll hurt less. Eventually, you'll know how to go on without him. I can't tell you how or when, because I haven't even figured that out for myself yet. What I do know though, is that if you don't let people - _your family _help you, then it'll be that much harder for you. And for them too."

Quietly, Harry held on to his wand as he looked into the distance and concentrated on a nonverbal spell. _Accio stone. _

The small whoosh was barely audible as the stone zoomed past the tall grass fields and landed onto Harry's palm. George looked at the stone, his face white as a sheet, "You summoned it."

"Yeah," Harry nodded, "But one day, you'll come back here, and you'll think of Fred. And you wouldn't even have to summon it. All those stones you threw ... they'll all just be right back here, in your backyard where they came from."

Harry handed him the stone. And as he shakily held on to the tiny piece of gravel, George Weasley cried. And being the concerned family that they were, the rest of the Weasleys immediately rushed out of the Burrow as they all engulfed George in an embrace. Harry stepped back from the sea of red hair and smiled at the sight.

He caught Ginny's eyes as she looked up at him and nodded in gratitude.

"Harry."

He turned to his right, not noticing that Hermione had come out too. Harry smiled at her before returning his gaze at the Weasleys, "It's a beautiful night."

"Yeah," he heard her agree, "They're family ... it's just so amazing. And so are you."

Harry's heart skipped a beat as he turned to look at her. She was giving him a sad smile again, undoubtedly still thinking of their conversation the previous night. "I didn't do much. I just talked to him. Really, all I did was be the boy who lost my family - who lost everyone."

"Not everyone," she whispered, "And they're your family too."

"And what about yours?"

"Yeah, they're family to me too."

"I meant your parents."

"Oh," Hermione sighed, "Well. They're still out there. And as soon as I can, I'll go to them. I miss them terribly, but at least I know they're safe in Australia. For now, that's enough."

Harry suddenly felt the urge to comfort her. While it's true that the Weasleys accepted them - both of them - he and Hermione were still the outsiders. They were the two who didn't share the magnitude of the grief felt by the Weasleys when they lost Fred. Before he lost his courage, Harry raised his arm and wrapped it around Hermione's shoulders.

"You're my family too, Hermione. No matter what."

Hermione smiled genuinely at his gesture, a smile that Harry hadn't seen on her face in a long time. He memorized that smile that night, and he promised himself never to forget it.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for reading! So the first half of the chapter (the whole thing with the Resurrection Sweet) was written before <strong>Lust of<strong>__** Alucard** requested that I delve more into the Fred story. I actually initially just wanted Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to talk to George kind of off-screen(or page ...?) and have his cathartic moment that way because I didn't want to focus too much on Fred's death for this story. I wanted to give a sense of moving on from everybody as they all try to get past the war. __However, I always take readers' suggestions seriously and in this case, I thought it really made sense to devote a chapter to George because it is true that he lost a twin brother and six weeks is not nearly long enough for him to even start moving on. As I played around with how to shift George's cathartic moment, I realized that Harry was actually the best person to help him because of how much he's been through. I don't want to sound like a show-off, but I'm really happy with the conversation between Harry and George. So, thank you **Lust of Alucard **for being such an awesome reader and reviewer! _

_Oh and one last thing, I have started writing the **big Harry/Hermione moment** of the story where feelings are finally revealed out in the open. It's still a few chapters away, but I'm just wondering, how many of you guys would want like a little excerpt from that chapter? I'm about 85% done with it! Let me know if you guys would like that so that I can put it in the AN for the next chapter (: Thanks again for reading!_


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